Robben, Martinez, Coman ruled out of Dortmund clash
Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez and Kingsley Coman have all been ruled out of Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that none of the trio will be fit for the trip to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
There are further concerns over Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa, who will face late fitness tests.
“Three players will not be available tomorrow: Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez and Kingsley Coman,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday.
“We’ll have to look at Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal in training. We won’t take any risk with them. They’re tired after a long journey on the plane.
“Robben has been training for three days individually. It’s only a small problem with him, he could be back next week.”
Ancelotti hit out at the timing of the latest international fixtures given the problems that have struck his squad.
“We’ve had problems with the international players,” he said. “The calendar is too full, the players have too many games. We have to change that.”
Dortmund announced on Friday that Marco Reus will also be forced to sit out the match after suffering a minor heel injury this week.
“Reus is a fantastic player but I think Dortmund will be able to use others,” Ancelotti said.
“Injuries are never easy for the players, but this is part of the game. I was injured myself for two years. Sometimes spells like these are helpful in learning for the future.”
In better news for the champions, Ancelotti confirmed that Franck Ribery is available after recovering from a muscular problem.
“He’s ready to play. He has experience and quality, which is important for the team,” he added.