Alaba should be fit to face Tottenham, confirms Bayern coach Kovac

David Alaba should be available for Bayern Munich’s next Champions League game against Tottenham, according to Niko Kovac.

The left-back tore a muscle in his left thigh before Bayern’s 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig earlier in the month.

He subsequently missed the 3-0 win over Red Star Belgrade that got Bayern’s Group B campaign up and running.

But after Bayern beat Cologne 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Kovac assured that Alaba’s absence will not be a long lay-off.

“David Alaba is making progress,” the coach said. “We need to increase the intensity of his running each day before he can re-join team training. We hope to have him ready for Tottenham.

“I think Paderborn will be too early. That will probably also interest the Austrian national coach. He will be fully operational again by the next international break.”

“@David_Alaba is making progress. We need to increase the intensity of his running each day before he can rejoin team training. We hope to have him ready for Tottenham.”#FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/2me5ZeKAw1

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 21, 2019

Bayern go to London on October 1 for what is expected to be a game that helps decide who tops their Champions League group.

But prior to that clash, Bayern eased to a 4-0 win at home to Cologne partly thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s double, while Philippe Coutinho’s penalty opened his account for the club.

“We performed well today, especially since we only had 72 hours of rest since Wednesday,” Kovac added.

“Cologne did well, it was not always easy to find the right solution. In the second half we did a better job, we created good chances.

“4-0 sounds pretty high, but we could have scored one or two more. Seven goals this week, you can build on that.”

O Magico has arrived #MiaSanMia #FCBKOE pic.twitter.com/zKQsbOutSq

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 21, 2019

Cologne coach Achim Beierlorzer felt the scoreline flattered the champions.

“4-0 feels extremely bitter for us,” he said. “At the end of the first half we were already really good in the game and had good chances to score. Bayern struck three minutes after the kick-off, because we were not awake. The corner for 2-0 has hit us very hard.

“If you want to get something here, the gameplay has to fit. But the way we were on the road today encourages me for the next games. It’s bitter that we did not score a goal today.”