Sane and Upamecano join Bayern's Covid casualty list

AFP , Tuesday 4 Jan 2022

Bayern Munich are facing the possibility of not being able to field a team for Friday's Bundesliga encounter with Borussia Moenchengladbach after Leroy Sane and Dayot Upamecano joined the long list of players hit by Covid-19 on Tuesday.

Sane
File photo: Bayern Munich s Leroy Sane reacts during their Bundesliga game against RB Leipzig. AP

"Both players are well and are self-isolating," Bayern said in a statement.

The two were tested on Monday with young defender Josip Stanisic who tested negative and was permitted to join group training.

 

It takes to eight the number of Bayern players who have now been sidelined by Covid.

Manuel Neuer, Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso, Omar Richards, Lucas Hernandez and Tanguy Nianzou have already tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from their vacation.

In December, the Bavarians said they would be without Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich for up to four weeks after he contracted the virus.

Kimmich sparked a heated debate in October when he revealed he had declined a vaccine against Covid due to "personal concerns" but last month said he was happy to receive a jab.

Bayern are also without striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and defender Bouna Sarr, who are both involved in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The German Football League (DFL) only allows postponements of matches for medical reasons if a team cannot name at least 15 players on the team sheet, which is still not the case with Bayern.

Bayern, who are nine points clear of Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga, restart their league campaign on Friday by hosting Moenchengladbach, which will be played behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

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