Manuel Neuer suffers a broken rib and is out until the end of the year

After the loudly proclaimed “title at home”, FC Bayern has to solve a groundbreaking task for the Champions League anniversary, even without Manuel Neuer, who has been injured for a long time. The captain will not only be missing for the record champions in Bayern’s 300th game in Europe’s premier football league, but will not be available again until January.

“He has a broken rib. He probably won’t play again this year,” confirmed coach Vincent Kompany on the eve of the game against Donetsk on Wednesday (9 p.m./Amazon Prime) in the Schalke Arena.

This meant that Neuer’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong when they were eliminated from the DFB Cup the previous week turned out to be more serious than it already was. The 38-year-old Neuer had seen red for this action and had already missed the 4-2 league win against 1. FC Heidenheim with an injury.

Once again with representative Daniel Peretz in goal, the Munich team want to continue their climb up the table of the reformed league with another win against Donetsk. “We want to win against Shakhtjor. Then we’ll be completely in the mix so that we can win the last two games in January and move into the top eight,” demanded sports director Max Eberl.

172 days before the Champions League final in the Allianz Arena, the weakened team around magic foot Jamal Musiala could make an important leap into the targeted top 8 of the 36 team rankings. “We all know that the Champions League final is coming up in Munich at the end of the season. We also know that we all have to do our homework beforehand,” said President Herbert Hainer.

A place in the upper section of the table would save the German record champions, who are plagued by more and more injuries and are under a lot of strain, an annoying penalty round in mid-February. It would then be a playoff instead of a break, because 16 teams that did not directly qualify for the round of 16 would play the other eight round of 16 teams in the return leg. “Stress is the big issue. For players, for everyone involved,” warned Eberl on BR television. You reach your limits in all the competitions.

The muscle injuries of Harry Kane and João Palhinha as well as those of the newly added Kingsley Coman and Alphonso Davies already illustrate the challenges for the top clubs in the first half of an XXL season with a Club World Cup after the regular end of the season. Serge Gnabry is missing against Donetsk due to knee problems.

“I think we are sending a powerful team onto the pitch,” said veteran Thomas Müller, who is hoping for an end to this negative streak after five away games without a win in Europe against Donetsk. During training in Munich, coach Kompany was able to welcome striker Mathys Tel as an alternative for the anniversary game after he was ill. Other goalkeepers in the Munich squad on Tuesday are Max Schmitt (18) and Leon Klanac (17).

“We will give everything to end the year successfully,” said Kompany. Based on their round of 16 formula – six wins are enough for the top 8 – the Munich team would have to get nine points as 13th after three wins and two defeats so far in the remaining games against Donetsk, at Feyenoord Rotterdam and at home against Slovan Bratislava.

To prepare for the important match against the 26th in the table. Shakhtar let Kompany and his team skip the annual general meeting on Sunday. In the distance, the Belgian could hear how the importance of the second premier class final after the 2012 final drama against Chelsea FC was emphasized again and again at the members’ convention.

“It must be our aim to be there in the season finale of the Champions League in our own stadium. This time we don’t call it the final at home, this time we call it the title at home,” said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen to the cheering members. “We know there’s still a long way to go. Our players know that too.”

In the team circle, Kimmich thinks it’s “very good to have a very big goal in mind.” Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has recovered from a broken collarbone, will again play alongside the midfielder instead of ex-Schalke player Leon Goretzka. “It’s very important to win the Champions League,” said the 20-year-old.

The fact that the anniversary is against Donetsk fits into the Champions League history of Munich, who are third in the all-time table behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. In 299 games there were 176 wins, 60 draws and 63 defeats for the German industry leader. Bayern celebrated success three times with a seven-goal lead as their highest victories, including in the 2014/15 season in a 7-0 win against Shakhtar.