Blow for Bayern as Alaba pulls out
– Bayern Munich will be without defender David Alaba when they travel to Hoffenheim tomorrow but Sebastian Rudy and Niklas Suele are ready for a first return to their former club as the champions look to take over top spot in the Bundesliga.
Alaba suffered an ankle injury while on international duty with Austria this week and will be out for some time, Bayern said.
The length of the defender’s absence is not yet clear but there was good news for Carlo Ancelotti’s team with Rudy, who was also injured in Germany’s 6-0 victory over
Berlin
Norway on Monday, being declared fit for tomorrow.
Midfielder Rudy trained alone on Wednesday, but was expected to return to team practice later in the week.
Both Rudy and central defender Suele, another Germany international, moved to Bayern after a sensational season at Hoffenheim that saw them finish fourth in the Bundesliga.
Bayern are on six points from two victories from two matches with a slightly worse goal difference than leaders Borussia Dortmund but that means little so early in the season.
For Suele and Rudy, however, the battle for a starting spot has long started and with seven games scheduled for the next 23 days, including in the Champions League, they know they need to be ready at any time.
“I have to stay consistent for years and I have to continue the same way,” Rudy said this week. “My aim is to establish myself.”
It may be easier for Rudy, with Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm retired, than for Suele, who faces fierce competition from established internationals such as Mats Hummels and Javi Martinez. – Reuters