FC Bayern will have to make do without captain Manuel Neuer in the second-to-last home match of the season against Hannover.
After sustaining torn muscle fibres in his calf, the goalkeeper is “on the road to recovery,” coach Niko Kovac said after Thursday’s training session. Neuer is making “daily progress” and might feature in the match away to RB Leipzig next week. “That’s what we have in mind,” said Kovac.
The German record champions will also be without James Rodríguez against Hannover. The Colombian had to be replaced with a muscular problem only 15 minutes after coming on in the 1-1 draw against Nürnberg. The match against Hannover comes “too early” for him, the 47-year-old declared. Javi Martínez, who did not take part in the squad programme with a knee problem on Thursday, is set to resume team training on Friday.
Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben are “fit and motivated” before the final spurt of the season. Ribéry missed the last two matches with a knock, but the Frenchman is “feeling good” again, as is Robben, who was included in the squad for the match against Nürnberg for the first time after five months on the sidelines. Kovac is “very, very confident” they will get some minutes out on the pitch in the last four matches of the season.
