11-time defending German champions Bayern Munich will now be without Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt for an extended period of time in their quest of conquering the German top-flight football and the UEFA Champions League, after the 24-year-old former AFC Ajax and Juventus star picked up an injury in the Bavarians’ latest game in the German domestic cup competition. The latest diagnosis to the recent injury of Matthijs de Ligt’s turned out to be pessimistic, since it indicated that the Dutchman will potentially miss key games and the remainder of the calendar year of 2023 for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
What Happened to Matthijs de Ligt?
The Leiderdorp-born defender’s injury blow came when Bayern visited Leiderdorp for a DFB-Pokal Second Round clash with 1. FC Saarbrücken from 3. Liga, the third division in Germany.
Bayern took the first lead of the match in the 16th minute, thanks to Thomas Müller’s strike outside the penalty box. But what followed suit was unpleasant for Tuchel’s Bavarians, as Matthijs de Ligt tried to tackle Fabio Di Michele Sanchez around the corner flag but mistimed his move. He immediately asked to be substituted upon a horrified look, prompting Tuchel to replace the centre-back with Konrad Laimer. Without Matthijs de Ligt in the game, Bayern went on to concede two stoppage-time goals, an equaliser in the first half through Patrick Sontheimer and a last-minute winner via Marcel Gaus, allowing the home side to secure a famous upset against the Bavarians.
After the match, Matthijs de Ligt’s diagnosis showed that he sustained a partial tear of the ligament of his right knee and such a problem is likely to keep him sidelined for at least 4-6 weeks, meaning we could actually see the defender out of action for Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national team for the rest of 2023.
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Bayern’s Official Announcement and Tuchel’s Statement
The Bayern Munich website released an official statement regarding Matthijs de Ligt’s injury, serving a depressing news to the management personnel, players and fans. It reads “Matthijs de Ligt sustained a partial tear of the ligament in his right knee joint in FC Bayern‘s 2-1 DFB Cup defeat at 1. FC Saarbrücken. That’s the outcome of a scan carried out by the club’s medical department on Thursday. Centre-back de Ligt will therefore miss FC Bayern’s upcoming games”.
As for the head coach of the Bavarians, Thomas Tuchel was in shock when Matthijs de Ligt’s injury took place and the 50-year-old had this to say during the post-match conference of Bayern’s disastrous comeback defeat to 1. FC Saarbrücken. “It’s the same knee again, the same capsule [in the joint] again. It’s very painful but there is currently no diagnosis yet.”
Bayern Munich beat 13-time English Premier League winners Manchester United in a 4-3 thriller in the opening Group A fixture of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League Season earlier this year, and this article has covered the full match details you need. Feel free to check it out now!
Bayern to Sign Jérôme Boateng as a Temporary Replacement to Matthijs de Ligt?
Matthijs de Ligt’s recent knee issue is nothing but a dreadful blow to the player himself as well as the Bayern Munich camp. Having signed Tottenham Hotspur’s and the England national football team’s all-time leading goal scorer Harry Kane to solve their crucial striker issues this season, Bayern were looking forward to conquer Europe once again, and the Dutchman’s injury will definitely put a halt to their great progress this season. In term of individual prospects, Matthijs de Ligt had of course just returned from a three-week injury layoff last month, and the latest knee problem does not serve any optimisms to the player.
With Matthijs de Ligt suffering from partial tear on his right knee ligament, Bayern Munich will now be searching for a temporary replacement for the team’s defensive core. One player that stood from the rest is none other than Jérôme Boateng, who played 364 games in all competitions across 11 seasons with Bayern from 2011 to 2021 before his transfer to French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais. The 35-year-old former Germany international is currently not attached to any football clubs and it would be a delight to see him return to the Bavarians for the final chapter of his professional football career.
🚨🇩🇪 Bayern Munich is reconsidering the signing of Jerome Boateng due to Matthijs de Ligt’s injury in the game against Saarbrucken, according to Sport Bild’s report. Boateng, who is 35 years old, has been without a club since leaving Olympique Lyonnais in the summer and is… pic.twitter.com/d9SkFnQU72
— VAR Tático (@vartatico) November 2, 2023
Matthijs de Ligt-Less Bayern to Face Dortmund in Der Klassiker
Matthijs de Ligt’s injury blow could not have come at a worse time. After they suffered the shocking 2-1 loss to the third-tier 1. FC Saarbrücken in the Second Round of the DFB-Pokal, the Bavarians will head to Signal Iduna Park to face Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker. This weekend’s German Clásico will be the 109th meeting between the two arch-rivals in the German top-flight football, and fortunately to Bayern, they have remained unbeaten in their last nine league games versus Die Schwarzgelben, winning eight of them during the invincible streak, including the 4-2 victory in their last encounter at home in 2022/2023.
Just a few days after the Dortmund clash, the Bavarians will return to the Allianz Arena to host Galatasaray S.K. from the Turkish Süper Lig on Matchday 4 of this season’s Champions League, as the German champions now look forward to book a place in advance in the knockout round of the European club football competition.
