Manuel Neuer is to return to the pitch against Darmstadt for Bundesliga Matchday 9 after he was out for 350 days because of a broken leg.
Thomas Tuchel expressed delight at the prospect of Neuer’s return: “He’s excited, we’re excited (…) As long as nothing happens in training, he will play”.
Embed from Getty ImagesMentioning the team’s recent four straight wins, Tuchel said in the press conference on Friday: “We’ll always prepare very seriously and be ready to give everything to win the game.”
Darmstadt, after six years away from the Bundesliga, have developed early on in the season, earning seven points from the last five matches and climbing 12th in the table. Nonetheless, Coach Torsten Lieberknecht said that his team “need(s) a perfect day and a moment of weakness from Bayern to get a result on Saturday.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe last time the two teams faced each other was in the 2016 Bundesliga season, where Bayern won both matches.
Embed from Getty ImagesSerge Gnabry’s comeback has been delayed due to illness, with Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro, and Leon Goretzka still out. Darmstadt on the other side are only missing forward Fabio Torsiello and Aaron Seydel due to injuries.
Neuer needs to prove himself in this clash to show that he still belongs in the goal, despite his long break.
