Bayern Munich are getting a boost ahead of their Matchday 19 clash with Schalke 04 with a trio of their best players returning to full team practice. Philipp Lahm returned after missing a day with a minor injury while Arturo Vidal and Thiago Alcantara returned from longer absence.
Vidal missed last week’s win over Werder Bremen due to a recurring rib injury that has been plaguing him since preseason. Vidal missed much of the run up to the win over Freiburg but logged 55 minutes in that match. His subsequent layoff from the same injury concern is not welcoming news. It will remain to be seen whether Vidal is now 100% ready or if this injury has the potential to be a recurring one.
On the other hand, Thiago’s return firmly falls into the uplifting news category. The midfielder was initially expected to several weeks and his availability for the first Champions League Round of 16 match against Arsenal two week’s from now was in serious jeorpady. That Thiago has made it back into team practice with weeks to spare — and re-gel — with his teammates only means good things for Bayern Munich’s treble aspirations this season.