Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund - Neuer and Muller to miss Bayern's showdown

Posted Friday, April 07, 2017 by PA

Bayern Munich will take no risks with the fitness of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer or forward Thomas Muller when they host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

The pair will miss the clash at the Allianz Arena to give them the best possible chance of being fit for Bayern's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Neuer is recovering from a foot injury and Muller an ankle problem and, with both men key for Bayern, coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to give them the best possible chance of being fit for the quarter-final first leg at home to Real.

Neuer trained for half-an-hour on Friday morning and, on his keeper, Ancelotti told a press conference: "Everything's going to plan. Tomorrow is a bit too soon. We won't take any risks."

Muller was restricted to a jogging session on grass, but the Italian said: "They'll certainly be available against Real Madrid."

One player who will be back for Bayern this weekend is winger Douglas Costa after three weeks out with a knee problem.

Ancelotti will not make wholesale changes with the Madrid meeting in mind, despite their 10-point lead at the top of the table, saying: "We need our best performance and our best line-up. There'll be no rotation."

He revealed Jerome Boateng would start at centre-back, though, with either Javi Martinez or Mats Hummels to make way. Whichever one is rested will start against Real.

Bayern go into the Dortmund match looking to bounce back from their first defeat since November in midweek, when they went down 1-0 to Hoffenheim.

"We want to win the match, to keep up the rhythm and create a good atmosphere before the match against Real, that's our goal," David Alaba said on the club website.

The Hoffenheim loss did little to slow Bayern's title charge. Indeed it may turn out to prove more of a nuisance for fourth-placed Dortmund, who are a point behind Julian Nagelsmann's side as they chance a top-three spot needed for guaranteed entry to next season's Champions League group stage.

Dortmund, who won 3-0 at home to Hamburg last time out, also have a Champions League assignment just around the corner, with Monaco the visitors to the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.

And Thomas Tuchel's men, who inflicted Bayern's only other league defeat this season with a 1-0 win in November, also have injuries to cope with.

Julian Weigl, Shinji Kagawa and Lukasz Piszczek are major doubts, while Erik Durm, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus are all definitely out.

"Our current personnel situation is very difficult," said Tuchel.

The continued absence of the influential yet injury-plagued Reus in particular has harmed Dortmund. His latest issue is a muscle problem.

"His absence is an immeasurable loss," said Tuchel.