At FC Bayern, final preparations are underway for the Champions League showdown against Arsenal. But one day before the crucial home game against the London club, there was a surprising personnel update. Joshua Kimmich was absent from the German record champions’ final training session on Tuesday. The 31-year-old was nowhere to be seen on the training field at Säbener Straße.

Especially ahead of such an important match, the absence of a key player from the final training session usually raises questions. After all, Kimmich is one of Munich’s absolute key players and is virtually indispensable in central midfield.

Apparently, an injury is not the reason behind the German international’s surprising absence.

Kimmich out ahead of Arsenal match

As reported by the Abendzeitung München, Kimmich did not take part in the final training session for “personal reasons.” No further details regarding the circumstances were provided.

The midfielder is nevertheless expected to be available for the Champions League match against Arsenal. According to the Abendzeitung München, Kimmich is expected to be ready to play on Wednesday evening as planned.

That would be important news for Munich. Kimmich is one of the most relied-upon players on the Bayern roster and plays a central role in building up play and organizing the midfield.

His experience is likely to play a key role, especially against the strong London side.

Neuer is back – Kompany remains sidelined

While Kimmich sat out on Tuesday, there was positive news in another position.

Manuel Neuer was able to return to team training after recovering from his foot injury. The 40-year-old had recently missed the two competitive matches against Viking Stavanger and RB Leipzig.

This boosts his chances of making a comeback against Arsenal. Whether Neuer will actually be back between the posts, however, depends on how his foot responds to the demands of training.

Should the Bayern captain not be fully fit in time, Jonas Urbig is ready to step in as a replacement.

Vincent Kompany, on the other hand, remains sidelined. The Bayern coach is battling a viral infection and therefore had to sit out Tuesday’s final training session as well as the press conference.

It remains to be seen whether the Belgian will be able to actively coach from the sidelines on Wednesday. If not, assistant coach Aaron Danks is likely to take over most of the coaching duties once again.

The Munich team will definitely have to do without Jamal Musiala. The attacking player is still in rehabilitation following his muscle tear and could be an option again next week at the earliest.

Michael Olise will also miss the match against Arsenal due to a suspension resulting from his yellow-red card in the game against Viking Stavanger.

Despite the personnel uncertainties, Bayern heads into the matchup against the top English club with plenty of confidence following their convincing 6-1 victory over Leipzig.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/10/20/kimmich-ausfall-gegen-arsenal-bayern-star-verpasst-abschlusstraining/.