The pile grew by three in the 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on 31 October. Michael Olise limped off late in the second half, Serge Gnabry pulled up in the first half with a thigh problem, and Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari was carried off in the 24th minute after a collision with Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Saibari’s night was the worst of them. Bayern confirmed in a statement on 1 November that he had torn the syndesmosis ligament in his right ankle, undergone surgery and was out for about three months. Gnabry is projected to miss one to two months, and Olise is a doubt for the Atletico Madrid trip.
The three new names join Luis Diaz (muscle bundle tear), Jamal Musiala (muscle fibre tear), goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and the long-recovering Manuel Neuer, taking the total to seven first-team players unavailable or in serious doubt.
That leaves Kane and Lennart Karl as the only established forwards fit and nominally in the frame, with Karl himself still searching for his touch after a stoppage-time miss against Dortmund.
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Enter the 16-year-old
Danks’ emergency menu points to Bastian Assomo, a 190cm centre-forward born on 3 January 2010 who has spent most of his season in the Regionalliga Bayern with Bayern Munich II. He has scored in pre-season for the first team and has featured for Germany at Under-15 level, but he has yet to make his senior competitive debut.
The rest of the attacking cover comes from players who were bought partly for their flexibility. Alphonso Davies has been pushed up from left-back to left wing in recent weeks, while Konrad Laimer, Nathaniel Brown and Tom Bischer have all been used in advanced midfield roles. Bayern’s recruitment under sporting director Max Eberl placed a visible premium on positional range over specialists.
Kompany watching from home
Permanent head coach Vincent Kompany is not on the touchline. He collapsed during training in late October and spent five days in hospital before being discharged on 28 October. Doctors diagnosed meningeal irritation, inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord, and ordered rest at home.
“It is an illness. Anyone of us can get it. It has nothing to do with the pressure we face in the Bundesliga,” Eberl said.
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Danks, who stepped in against Dortmund, will stay in charge for the Atletico trip and Saturday’s home game against Mainz. According to German tabloid Bild, Kompany is not expected back on the bench until later in November.
The Madrid deadline
Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is at 9pm local time on Tuesday. Mainz at the Allianz Arena follow on Saturday, 8 November.
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