Report: Mats Hummels is sick and will likely not play against Benfica

Per a report from kicker, Mats Hummels will miss Bayern Munich’s Champions League fixture against Benfica due to a gastrointestinal issue. This would likely leave the starting center back combination to be Niklas Süle and Jerome Boateng.

Hummels is out with a gastrointestinal infection for Tuesday’s game (9pm, LIVE! At kicker.de) per kicker information. So it should be clear that Jerome Boateng and Niklas Süle will play in the central defense of Bavaria.

The duo of Süle and Boateng was awful in Bayern’s latest match, which help contribute to the squad’s disappointing 3-3 draw with lowly Fortuna Düsseldorf. With this game allegedly very important to the future of Niko Kovač, the first-year manager for Die Roten is surely already plotting on how to help make Boateng and Süle have a more effective showing than they did against Düsseldorf.

Hummels, meanwhile, was also allegedly sick for Der Klassiker and turned in a sub-par performance (to his standards) where he looked sluggish and out of sync. The veteran has been a mainstay in the lineup since rejoining the team in 2016 and has typically been a solid and steady presence along the back line. This season, however, each defender in the lineup has scuffled a bit to show any true consistency under Kovač.