Covid cases force Nagelsmann into a reshuffle at Bayern

BERLIN: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich must reshuffle their starting side – with five players in quarantine – before hosting struggling Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday in a final tune-up ahead of their top-ofthe-table clash at Dortmund.

Bielefeld earned a 3-3 draw when the clubs met in Munich last February and have picked up four points from their last two league games.

Yet even with a host of stars sidelined, Bayern head coach Julian Nageslmann still has plenty of talent available against second-from-bottom Bielefeld.

“We are concentrating on the players who are there – the four World Cup winners and nine Champions League winners,” Bielefeld coach Frank Kramer quipped drily.

Bayern are missing midfielder Joshua Kimmich and back-up striker Eric Maxim ChoupoMoting,

who also miss next weekend’s clash at second-placed Dortmund after both tested positive for Covid-19.

Midfielders Michael Cuisance, Serge Gabry and Jamal Musiala are also quarantining at home as contact cases, but defenders Niklas Suele and Josip Stanisic returned to training on Wednesday after previously testing positive.

A shock defeat at Augsburg trimmed Bayern’s lead in the table to just a single point ahead of Dortmund.

Record numbers of coronavirus cases in Germany this week means a tightening of hygiene rules at Bundesliga stadiums.

Bayern’s Allianz Arena will be at 25 per cent capacity – up to 18,745 – on Saturday.

There will be reduced capacity at all grounds, apart from RB Leipzig, who must play behind closed doors against Leverkusen