Ribery to miss Bayern´s trip to Freiburg

Jupp Heynckes has confirmed Franck Ribery and James Rodriguez will miss Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga trip to Freiburg on Sunday.

Bayern’s injury problems are beginning to mount ahead of their Champions League last-16 second leg clash with Besiktas, although it is unlikely to halt their progression after a 5-0 win at the Allianz Arena.

Heynckes has already seen Kingsley Coman ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury picked up against Hertha Berlin, the France international undergoing surgery on Monday.

Ribery – who was replaced by Coman before the latter’s injury – will not continue on Bayern’s left after picking up a stomach bug, while Sunday’s game will also come too soon for James (calf) who has not played since the first-leg win over Besiktas.

There is some positive news for Bayern, though, with David Alaba back in contention and Thiago Alcantara another option for the league leaders.

“Not having Kingsley Coman is a big loss for us,” Heynckes told a pre-match media conference on Friday.

#Heynckes on his squad: ” @FranckRibery has a stomach virus and will miss the game. @David_Alaba trained again today and will be involved on Sunday.” #SCFFCB #packmas pic.twitter.com/uCwLniEDfs

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) March 2, 2018

“He has developed very quickly and I was very shocked to hear the injury is as bad as it is.

“Franck Ribery is not fit [to face Freiburg], he has a stomach virus and cannot play at the weekend.

“James has been working in the gym for the past few days and the plan is he will return to training on Monday.

“David Alaba trained again today without any problems and wants to play on Sunday.”

#Heynckes : “Freiburg are a hard-working and aggressive team. They do not give you a lot of space and coach Christian Streich has instilled a lot of energy and passion in his team. He is a fantastic coach.” #SCFFCB pic.twitter.com/DQMhB4Vagi

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) March 2, 2018

On Ribery’s replacement, Heynckes added: “I have not made a decision on who plays on the left. 

“Thiago is a consideration, he has already played in that position like [Andres] Iniesta does at Barcelona, from the left into attacking midfield.

“Thiago was a regular player before his injury. I would like to bring him back to this level in the next few weeks. But I will slowly reintroduce him.”