Top striker Gomez joins growing injury list

Bayern’s grim fortune with pre-season injuries took another turn for the worse on Sunday on the news that Mario Gomez is facing a spell on the sidelines. “He’s not in good shape. He needs surgery,” Matthias Sammer confirmed in advance of the LIGA total! Cup third-place play-off in Hamburg, “after the op, we’ll find out how long he’s unavailable.“

Gomez has been diagnosed with loose fragments of the joint in his left ankle, splinters and particles which require surgical removal. The striker played the first 42 minutes of Saturday’s match against Werder Bremen, but was then substituted with ankle and calf problems.

Injury roster growing longer

With less than three weeks to go until the first Bundesliga fixture of the new season, the list of injured players at Bayern is growing longer. David Alaba (stress fracture), Rafinha (ligaments) and Diego Contento (hairline fracture of the foot) are almost certain to miss the start of the campaign. Claudio Pizarro sat out the LIGA total! Cup with a long-term hip injury.

In addition, Franck Ribéry has been forced to reduce his training workload in recent days with an inflamed heel, although the France star was able to play on both days of the Hamburg tournament.

On Sunday, Bastian Schweinsteiger was substituted after 19 minutes of the third-place play-off against Hamburg, but Jupp Heynckes had a reassuring message for Bayern fans afterwards. “He turned his ankle on a divot, but the doctor says it’s not too bad,” the coach said.