Bayern Munich goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer will miss Saturday’s German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart due to a calf muscle injury, the club said.
Bayern said on Friday that Neuer will not be part of the match squad for the game in Berlin “due to a problem in his left calf.”
Jonas Urbig is set to deputise for Neuer like earlier in the year when Neuer was also sidelined with calf muscle problems.
“We’ve said many times before that we’ve got a great set-up in that regard. It’s a coincidence, but Jonas has already played against Stuttgart twice. We had no doubts when Jonas played against Leverkusen in the Champions League for the first time. Nor did we have any against Stuttgart,” Kompany said in a news conference on Friday evening.
“Hopefully he’ll play well – but the pressure isn’t on his shoulders, but on other players who have been here before. For example, Joshua Kimmich or myself as the coach,” he added.
Neuer’s latest problems started last weekend and he was substituted during the Bundesliga finale against Cologne. He then did not train all week.
The news comes the day after Neuer’s return into the national team for the World Cup was confirmed by Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 2014 World Cup winner had originally retired from the team two years ago.
“He can’t play tomorrow, the World Cup is not endangered,” Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said at a Bild 100 Sport event in Berlin.
“It doesn’t make sense to put him in goal with the risk that he could injure himself even more severely. That’s why we all decided together to pull out of the final – however hard it was for Manu.”
Bayern have won the German Cup a record 20 times but are in the final for the first time in six years. Having won the Bundesliga they are seeking another domestic double.
Stuttgart are the defending Cup champions.
“Winning here is always a historic moment. Stuttgart managed that last year. This season, the whole team has been talking about this cup since day one. That shows that Bayern Munich hold this cup in high regard. We want to bring it back to Munich,” Kompany said.
Bayern have won nine of their 10 German Cup duels and won all three matches this season: the German Super Cup and both Bundesliga games.