Bayern must sit out Luis Diaz after Arsenal injury

At the Allianz‑Stadion, a few minutes after the final whistle of the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League, Colombian winger Luis Diaz lay injured on the pitch, while coach Vincent Kompany anxiously questioned the further availability of the international and the medical team of the record champion prepared the diagnosis.

Diagnosis and immediate consequences

On Thursday, the German record champion announced that Diaz had suffered a small muscle bundle tear in the back of his left thigh. The club's statements confirmed the diagnosis. The club did not specify a concrete period of absence, but Kompany will not be able to field the player for the time being. Consequently, he is expected to miss the upcoming league fixtures.

In the match against the Gunners, Diaz was surprisingly only on the bench, after having already been injured in the Bundesliga duel against RB Leipzig over the weekend (6-1). There he had to be substituted again after only a few minutes on the pitch. The injury from the Leipzig match was the reason for his absence against Arsenal. At the time he was still not fit, which affected the line‑up against Arsenal.

After the Leipzig appearance, Kompany said: “I don’t think it’s serious. But if it happens a second time, you always start to worry a bit.” The remark came immediately after the 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

Sports director Max Eberl added: “He had muscular problems before the game and felt it again lightly. We didn’t want to take any risk. Let’s wait and see.” He thereby emphasized the club’s caution.

Despite earlier finishing problems, Diaz scored a hat‑trick against Leipzig before being substituted in the final quarter‑hour – Kompany had already used up his quota. The goal was his first hat‑trick since joining Bayern.

The Belgian explained: “We were a bit scared that something had happened. We were actually happy that he trained on Tuesday, but not at 100 percent.” He announced that training intensity would be adjusted individually.

Against Arsenal, Diaz showed initiative: “This morning he came and said: ‘Coach, I want to be involved.’” With that he wanted to underline his readiness to play.

Bayern’s upcoming schedule

In the coming days a tight programme awaits the Munich side: on Sunday they travel to third‑placed SC Freiburg, on Tuesday follows the DFB Cup match against 1. FC Magdeburg at the Allianz Arena, and four days later Bayern host Borussia Dortmund in the league. The tightly‑packed calendar increases the workload for the squad.