ZCZC
BSP-15
FBL-EUR-C1-GER-BAYERN-HUMMELS
Embattled Bayern without Hummels as pressure piles on Kovac
BERLIN, Nov 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Bayern Munich will be without Germany
defender Mats Hummels for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at home to
Benfica, which could be Niko Kovac’s last game in charge as head coach.
According to Sky, magazine Kicker and Germany’s top-selling daily Bild,
Hummels has dropped out with a stomach bug, leaving head coach Kovac with
only 13 fit out-field players for the visit of Benfica.
Hummels has been laid out by gastroenteritis, which has also hit his wife
Cathy and 10-month-old baby son Ludwig.
With the experienced centre-back out, Niklas Suele and Jerome Boateng are
set to partner up against Benfica.
Hummels is the latest casualty on Bayern’s walking wounded list, which
includes James Rodriguez, out with a torn knee ligament, Kingsley Coman and
Thiago Alcantara (both ankle injuries) and Corentin Tolisso (knee injury)
also sidelined.
Bayern need only a point to book their place in the last 16 of the
Champions League.
However, Kovac badly needs a moral-boosting win in Europe with Bayern nine
points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table, leaving
Kovac under intense pressure to turn things around.
After Saturday’s embarrassing 3-3 draw with Fortuna Duesseldorf, when
Bayern threw away a 3-1 lead, Bayern president Uli Hoeness has said Kovac’s
job is safe only until the Benfica game.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1830HRS