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The Bayern Munich defense has received it’s share of criticism this season and a short 10 minutes into the tie with FC Augsburg things went from bad to worse when Niklas Sule left the match after sustaining a scary knee injury.
Challenging for an easy bouncing ball near the box, Niklas Sule pulled up mid challenge after an awkward plant immediately grabbing his left knee. Sule was immediately assessed by team doctors and then carried from the field. The scene carried eerie reminders of the ACL injury Javi Martinez suffered in 2014, given the non-contact nature of the injury, the immediacy of treatment and the tests performed. He was immediately replaced by David Alaba.
Niklas Sule has been Bayern’s defensive rock all season, providing the vast bulk of the minutes at centerback and allowing Niko Kovac to get creative with his defensive partnerships. While that hasn’t always worked in Bayern’s favor, losing as crucial a player as Sule for an extended period of time would be a huge blow to their tactical acumen and prospects going into the heart of the Hinründe.
UPDATE: Kovac confirms torn ACL, possibly further damage
Niko Kovac spoke to Bild briefly after Bayern Munich’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Augsburg. He confirmed that Niklas Süle has apparently torn his ACL.
#Kovac über die #Süle-Verletzung: „Das, was ich jetzt schon gehört habe, ist, dass das Kreuzband beschädigt ist. Wir müssen schauen, inwieweit noch andere Bereiche im Knie in Mitleidenschaft gezogen worden sind.“ #FCBayern
— BILD FC Bayern (@BILD_Bayern) October 19, 2019
What I now have heard is that the ACL is damaged. We have to see to what extent other areas of the knee have also been injured.
We will update this story as we learn more.