Bayern Munich Faces Injury Crisis in Telekom Cup

Bayern count the cost as injuries pile up in brutal Telekom Cup outing

Friendlies are supposed to ease teams into a new season, not send alarm bells ringing. For Bayern Munich, the Telekom Cup meeting with RB Leipzig did the opposite, turning a routine warm-up into an unwanted early crisis.

Within 10 minutes, the tone of the afternoon changed. Konrad Laimer, facing his former club, went into a challenge with David Raum and came off worse. He left the pitch, Bayern’s midfield balance already disrupted before the game had even settled.

The setbacks kept coming.

Midway through the second half, during the hydration break in the 66th minute, Min-jae Kim was the next to go. The centre-back, a cornerstone of Bayern’s defensive plans, exited the match and headed straight down the tunnel. One more key piece removed from Vincent Kompany’s puzzle.

Then came the most worrying sight of the day. Jamal Musiala, who had just lit up the contest by scoring Bayern’s third goal, went down around four minutes later, apparently overcome by the heat. Medical staff rushed on, and for a moment a stretcher looked likely. He eventually made it off the pitch, but the image of Bayern’s creative heartbeat collapsing on a sweltering day will linger.

As if that wasn’t enough, there was one last twist after the final whistle. Sacha Boey, who had completed the match, cramped up once the game was over. It summed up the afternoon: bodies stretched, energy drained, and a squad suddenly looking fragile days before the campaign truly begins.

All of this lands on Kompany’s desk at the worst possible time. The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is on the horizon next week, with another friendly against Heidenheim squeezed in before that. Laimer, Kim, Musiala, Boey – these are not fringe options, but established first-teamers expected to carry serious minutes in the 2026/27 season.

Pre-season is meant to provide answers. Instead, Bayern leave the Telekom Cup with fresh questions and a growing sense of unease. How quickly those scans and assessments bring good news may shape the opening weeks of Kompany’s tenure.