Harry Kane ruled out of Bayern Munich clash as Vincent Kompany provides Champions League injury update

Bayern will be without their star striker for Saturday’s visit to Freiburg. Kompany confirmed the news following a difficult international break where the 32-year-old was unable to feature for England. Despite traveling with the national team, the prolific forward remained on the sidelines during friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. The injury occurred during a training session with the Three Lions, and while Kane attempted to return to individual work in Bavaria this week, he has not yet rejoined the main group. He spent Thursday working on a cycle ergometer in the gym rather than participating in high-impact drills on the grass.

Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Kompany expressed his disappointment but offered a glimmer of hope regarding the upcoming trip to the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Harry trained well until Sunday, then he felt something in his ankle while with the national team," Kompany said at a press conference. "That will have an impact on tomorrow's game - he won't be available. Nevertheless, I'm positive about Tuesday. It's not great, I'd like him to play against Freiburg, but as things stand today that won't be possible."

However, looking ahead to the Champions League quarter-final first leg, the Belgian manager added: "I am rather positive about the game on Tuesday in Madrid."

The decision to omit Kane from the matchday squad is largely strategic. Bayern currently sit comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga table with a nine-point lead, affording Kompany the luxury of resting his talisman. With 31 league goals already this season, the medical staff are prioritising his recovery for the European stage.

Asked about the team's strategy without Kane, Kompany said: "It all depends a little bit on what happens in training today, who shows that they're 100 per cent fit for this game. The interpretation of this role with us, the two players who take on the number ten role, that's very, very flexible. We can play with two strikers, no problem. We can have two number tens playing. We can play someone with a number ten/nine profile. That's the nice thing, because we have enough attackers around the box. We'll see whether we do that - it depends on the information from the last training session. We'll try to make logical decisions that will help us."

Bayern head into the Freiburg game looking to maintain their dominant domestic form, having secured four wins and one draw in their last five outings. Despite Kane’s absence, they remain heavy favourites to collect three points before shifting their total focus toward the Champions League. The medical team will continue to monitor the striker over the next 48 hours. If he passes fitness tests, he is expected to lead the attack at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night as Bayern pursue their first European title since 2020.