MUNICH — Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has indicated he’ll likely avoid having to field 16-year-old goalkeeper Leonard Prescott in the Champions League against Atalanta after backup Jonas Urbig returned to training Tuesday amid an injury crisis in the position.
Urbig, normally Bayern’s second choice in goal, sustained from concussion after colliding with an opponent when Bayern won the first leg 6-1 last week. Fellow goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich have injuries too ahead of the second leg Wednesday.
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Kompany said it will be a “purely medical decision” whether Urbig is fit to play, and “if everything is fine tomorrow morning and it’s going like it is currently is, then Urbig will be in goal as normal. And if not, then we need to use another solution and we’ll do that as well.”
Kompany then confirmed that the “solution” would be New York-born 16-year-old Prescott, who usually plays for the club’s under-19 squad.
Prescott was on the bench for the team’s Bundesliga game Saturday when third-choice Ulreich tore an adductor muscle. A 19-year-old reserve player, Jannis Bärtl, has also been considered an option.
Bayern said Urbig trained with the team Tuesday and Neuer did a partial session as part of his recovery from a recurring calf injury. It’s “obviously satisfying that Manu is back and Jonas can train just as normal,” Kompany said.
Bayern has also been dealing with injuries to left back Alphonso Davies and forward Jamal Musiala after last week’s win at Atalanta.
Bayern enter the game on the back of a 1-1 league draw with Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, where Nicolas Jackson and Luis DÃaz were both sent off. And Kompany insists he does not want his side to “give any less” in Wednesday’s second leg with Atalaanta despite a dominant 6-1 advantage
“It’s my role in this situation to lead by example, but we have to show it on the pitch too,” Kompany said.
“I can give you reasons why this is important for us, 75,000 people are coming to the game to support the team — that’s a crucial foundation in terms of willingness to work hard and run.
“I want us to enjoy ourselves, but there’s no reason for us to give any less. We are Bayern Munich. We’ve worked very hard to build this momentum. I also thought the game in Leverkusen was very positive for us – we need to build on that tomorrow and against Union Berlin.
“We can’t afford to go into a game too casually, we don’t want that. But my greatest confidence comes from having seen the pre-season games against Lyon, Salzburg, and Tottenham. We don’t do friendlies.”
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report