Kane To Make Bayern Return against Leipzig After Their Shocking 2-1 Defeat To Mainz Last Weekend Away From The Allianz Arena.
Harry Kane is likely to return to the Bayern Munich squad before the Bundesliga leaders visit RB Leipzig on Friday. Bayern knew that anything less than a win might mean they have nothing to show for their promising start under new coach Vincent Kompany.
Bayern suffered their first league setback of the season, 2-1 at Mainz, last weekend, and are currently only four points clear of defending champions Bayer Leverkusen. Kane’s return is welcome news for Munich, who have missed the England captain’s inventiveness and goals. He has 20 goals and nine assists in 19 appearances across all competitions prior to injuring his hamstring in November.
“I’m not going to say whether he will start the match or not, the last training session (Thursday) is important,” said Kompany.
“But if everything goes well, he will definitely have a role to play tomorrow (Friday). Harry has this science of positioning close to the penalty area. He also helped us a lot in defensive work. He’s one of the best in the world in the box — that’s where he makes the difference. There aren’t many players who can do that.”
Jamal Musiala has stepped up in Kane’s absence, scoring four goals and providing an assist in all competitions, but the 21-year-old cannot be asked to carry the job alone.
“It’s always tough,” Musiala said of Leipzig, adding “we’ve had finals against them before and it’s definitely a big game — we lost against them last season.”
Musiala has 13 goals and five assists in all competitions, trailing only Kane, demonstrating the importance of the Germany-born, England-raised midfielder to Bayern.
Musiala, who switched international allegiances from England to Germany shortly after joining Bayern, credits Kompany with assisting him in “going up a level this season”.
After struggling to shake off their title hangover early in the season, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen have found form, winning seven straight games in all categories, including knocking Bayern out of the German Cup last 16 in Munich. Bayern leads second-placed Bayer Leverkusen by four points after 14 matches, while Leipzig is fourth with 27 points.
