Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Berlin: Bayern Munich midfielders Mario Goetze, Franck Ribery and new signing Serdar Tasci are doubtful for the Bavarian derby at Augsburg, coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
World Cup winner Goetze has been out for months with a muscle injury while Tasci, brought in as an emergency solution this month due to injuries to three central defenders, suffered a mild concussion in his first training session last week.
Ribery tore a thigh muscle in December after having just returned from a nine-month absence.
"I still don't know if it will be enough for Sunday," Guardiola told reporters.
"Today is off, tomorrow is training and then there will be a decision. I still have to think about my lineup."
Bayern are eight points clear at the top of the table and on course for a record fourth successive Bundesliga title.
Tasci, on loan from Spartak Moscow, was supposed to step in for injured central defenders Jerome Boateng, Medhi Benatia and Javi Martinez.
Guardiola has been forced to use youngster Joshua Kimmich in central defence, including in the 3-0 German Cup quarter-final win over VfL Bochum on Wednesday.
"I am happy with the way he has been defending," said Guardiola who has been full of praise for the 21-year-old. "His position normally is in midfield but he has shown us what he can do in the central defence."
Guardiola is chasing a treble of titles in his third and final season with Bayern before joining Manchester City in July.
The Spaniard did not meet with his Bayern successor Carlo Ancelotti in Munich this week.
"I did not. I was in Bochum (for the German Cup match) and then with my family," the Spaniard said. "It is normal for him to be in Munich." - Reuters
