Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is sidelines with an ankle injury and could miss the Bundesliga clash at SC Freiburg on Saturday.
The striker was ruled out of England’s 1-0 defeat to Japan national football team earlier this week after suffering a “minor” ankle injury in training, and early reports suggest he is unlikely to return in time for Saturday’s league clash.
Bayern are not expected to take risks with their leading scorer. With a nine-point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga, the club’s focus has shifted towards their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. The priority is clear: ensure Kane is fully fit for the first leg in Madrid next Tuesday.
Kane’s absence would be a rare one. The England captain has missed just one league match this season, sitting out the 4-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in March due to a calf problem, which also kept him out of a European tie against Atalanta.
If he is unavailable, Bayern are likely to push Serge Gnabry into a central attacking role. Nicolas Jackson remains suspended following his red card against Bayer Leverkusen, limiting Vincent Kompany’s options in attack.
Kane’s influence this season has been decisive. He leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with 31 goals and has added 10 more in Europe, underlining his importance ahead of a defining stretch of the campaign.
Bayern’s schedule now intensifies, with back-to-back meetings against Real Madrid in the Champions League either side of domestic fixtures, before a DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen later this month. How quickly Kane returns could shape not just their European ambitions, but the closing weeks of their season.
