Injured Pavard to miss Bayern's season opener

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard will miss this weekend’s opening game of the Bundesliga season at Borussia Moenchengladbach with an injury, head coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Thursday.

The France left-back has suffered an ankle issue and is expected to miss the next few weeks, including Tuesday’s German Super Cup at Borussia Dortmund.

“It’s very, very annoying. He made a good impression in training and was firmly part of our plans,” Nagelsmann said.

“He will be out for a few weeks, but we have many other players who can replace him.”

In his absence, Canada’s Alphonso Davies could play at left-back on Friday after recovering from an ankle problem.

Bayern will field a new back four at Borussia-Park with centre-back Dayot Upamecano, signed from RB Leipzig this summer, set to play his first competitive game for the Bavarians..  

Nagelsmann, 34, quit last season’s runners-up Leipzig to take charge of Bayern after his predecessor Hansi Flick left to coach Germany.

The pressure is on Nagelsmann to deliver a tenth straight Bundesliga title for Bayern in his first season to complete their decade of dominance in the German league.

However, he is still waiting for a first win at the helm after three defeats and a draw in pre-season friendlies.

Bayern suffered a shock 3-2 defeat under Flick in their last away game at Borussia Park in January.

“Gladbach have a very, very good and ambitious team. They are not yet at 100 percent because of the injuries, but they are a demanding opponent,” added Nagelsmann.

“Every team is even more motivated against Bayern – everyone wants to see that we don’t win a tenth (consecutive) title.”