The most pressing concern at Bayern Munich right now is the health of Jamal Musiala, whose medical situation has cast a shadow over the club's preparations for Saturday's Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. The 23-year-old collapsed twice in pre-season, first against RB Leipzig and then again just six minutes after coming on in Bayern's 4-2 friendly win over Heidenheim on August 18. Musiala has since confirmed via Instagram that he has been diagnosed with absence epilepsy, a neurological condition that causes brief losses of consciousness. He says he is in medical treatment, remains optimistic, and intends to keep playing. Club president Uli Hoeneß described the situation as a "drama" and admitted Bayern were caught off guard, though he confirmed specialists had cleared Musiala for elite sport. Reports from tz and Bild now indicate he will not be in the squad for Saturday's game, though he is expected to return for the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart on August 28.

With Musiala absent, the competition for the fourth attacking spot behind Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz becomes even more relevant in the short term. New signing Ismael Saibari is currently the fittest option, while Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl are working their way back from muscle injuries. Kane, meanwhile, was named Europe's top scorer at an awards ceremony this week and is the leading Ballon d'Or candidate ahead of the October ceremony in London.

Off the pitch, Bayern are closing in on selling Joao Palhinha to Benfica for a reported 14 million euros, a significant loss on the 51 million they paid Fulham two years ago. Sporting director Max Eberl also moved to deny reports that recruitment chief Nils Schmadtke faces the sack, calling media coverage of the situation excessive.