Headache again because of "FIFA virus"

Bayern Munich lost Upamecano (left) at a crucial moment of the season - Photo: Reuters

This is because they are the team that suffered the most damage due to player injuries after the two-week long series of international matches of FIFA.

Bayern Munich is worried

Specifically, Bayern Munich will be missing at least two key players for the long term due to injuries, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano. Both are in defense, which is the line Bayern Munich has the least number of players.

Davies suffered a torn ligament and was ruled out for the season. His injury sparked controversy, with his agent openly criticizing Canada for forcing his client to play in an unfit state.

Davies was said to be exhausted after the match against Mexico. But the coaching staff still wanted him to play against the US. For a player with a physical and fast style of play like Davies, the risk of ligament injury is always a threat.

Bayern Munich can be a little relieved in Upamecano's case as he is set to be out for a few weeks, but the French centre-back will almost certainly miss both games against Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Bayern Munich's defence has been left in tatters by injuries. Centre-back Kim Min-jae has also picked up an injury and is racing to recover in time for the game against Inter Milan. Defensive midfielder Pavlovic has been sidelined since February, and could be out for the entirety of April, according to a recent report.

In the worst case scenario, coach Vincent Kompany will have to use the central defender pair Eric Dier - Hiroki Ito for the upcoming week. This is a reluctant choice because both are doubtful about their quality.

Ito alone had to rest for half a year (from July 2024 to February 2025) due to a serious injury. And he is still in the process of regaining his football playing form.

Premier League's smart move

Luckily for Bayern Munich, their upcoming opponent, Inter Milan, has also suffered some damage. Specifically, Marcus Thuram suffered a similar injury to Upamecano, while Lautaro Martinez has not yet set a return date. Major European teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Barca... also have players injured when joining the national team.

Even without injuries, fitness poses a challenge for clubs, especially those with a large number of South American players. Liverpool, for example, have Brazil goalkeeper Alisson, Argentina midfielder Mac Allister, Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez and Colombia striker Luis Diaz.

Each South American player has travelled around 20,000km in the past two weeks. That leaves them with just two days of training with their clubs, before returning to the field this weekend. Some players have not even had time to train.

Luckily for Premier League clubs, the Football Association (FA) has adjusted the schedule for this year's season. This weekend, the Premier League will be suspended to make way for the FA Cup - a tournament that is not too important.

Because Liverpool and Arsenal were eliminated early, they will have nearly a week to rest before playing in the Premier League in the middle of next week.

Barca faces many difficulties

Barca coach Hansi Flick has criticized the La Liga (Spanish Championship) organizers for arranging too tight a match schedule for them. Including the make-up match against Osasuna early this morning (March 28). The match of round 27 was postponed because of the sudden death of Barca doctor Carles Minarro. Barca will have to play a total of 7 matches within 3 weeks.

With such a schedule, some of Barca's South American stars are pushed into an extremely difficult situation.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lai-dau-dau-vi-vi-rut-fifa-2025032808493288.htm