Vincent Kompany confirmed Manuel Neuer would miss Bayern Munich’s game against Viking in Matchweek 2 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. Jamal Musiala, who had raised alarms during the summer, is also absent due to injury.
Coming off a head-scratching outing in Bayern’s 2-2 draw against Augsburg in Bundesliga action, Neuer’s demotion raised eyebrows. However, the decision apparently has nothing to do with the veteran’s recent, out-of-character form. Instead, Neuer has been sidelined as a precaution by Kompany and the coaching staff.
“[Neuer] can’t train [Monday]. He’s felt something in his foot,” Kompany said, via ESPN. “So that quickly answers the question of who will be in goal [Tuesday]. It makes no sense to take any unnecessary risks. I don’t want to call it an injury. But when you feel something and it doesn’t get better, at some point you realize we need to do something, and we’ll do that by taking no risk if he doesn’t feel 100 percent.”
Who replaces Neuer in goal for Bayern?
As Neuer deals with the setback in his foot—Kompany refused to call it an injury per se—the Bavarians will start Jonas Urbig in goal on the controversial artificial pitch in Stavanger, Norway. It will be Urbig’s third game of the season and his eighth career UEFA Champions League appearance. Urbig has been in bigger continental games before, though.
Jamal Musiala of FC Bayern Munich in action during a game.
Last season he was called into action midway through the Round of 16 first-leg against Bayer Leverkusen and ended up starting the rest of the way as Bayern were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Inter Milan.
Although Viking fans will push to make life hell for Bayern, Urbig may be in for a night with little action in goal in Stavanger.
Why Musiala isn’t playing vs Viking
As for Musiala, the German international returned early from the past FIFA international break after suffering a muscle tear in his right thigh warming up for a game against the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League.
It’s been that kind of start to the season for Musiala, who suffered two collapses during consecutive pre-season friendlies, and has missed more games than he’s played so far in 2026-27 for Bayern. Musiala cleared concerns and explained why he fainted, but the health issues have remained. Regardless, Kompany called Musiala’s latest setback “minor”, and him being sidelined could also be a product of what the team hopes will be a smooth sailing in Norway.
Who knows, though? The Bavarians will cross paths with vikings in foreign waters, one misstep, and they might come back to regret it.
Key takeaways
- Manuel Neuer felt something in his foot and has been taken off the starting XI as a precaution.
- Jamal Musiala isn’t playing as he is still rehabbing from a “minor muscle tear” in his right thigh.
- Jonas Urbig is Bayern’s starting goalkeeper against Viking in Matchweek 2 of the UEFA Champions League.
