Bayern hopeful Kane fit for Celtic clash
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Bayern Munich's English forward Harry Kane lays on the pitch as Bayern Munich's German midfielder Jamal Musiala and Bayern Munich's German midfielder Joshua Kimmich discuss during the German first division Bundesliga football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern Munich in Leverkusen, western Germany on February 15, 2025. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP)
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he believes Harry Kane
will be fit to face Celtic on Tuesday, after the striker missed training ahead
of the Champions League game.
German media reported Kane picked up a knock in Saturday's
hard-fought 0-0 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Kompany admitted he could not give a definite answer to whether
Kane would play, but said a decision would be made on the morning of the game
in Munich on Tuesday.
"(It's) definitely nothing bad. We've just had very little
time to recover and sometimes you need an extra day," Kompany told
reporters on Monday.
Bayern were uncharacteristically defensive against Leverkusen,
with Kane and other attackers dropping back to help the visitors keep a clean
sheet which maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table.
"We'll see early tomorrow how he feels, but I assume it's
nothing too bad -- we've just got very little time to refresh and
recover," said Kompany.
Against Leverkusen, Kane needed treatment before half-time after
his head collided with Piero Hincapie's shoulder.
Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers on Monday backed the England captain
to play.
"It doesn't change anything -- we need to win the game. If
Harry didn't play, that's a big miss for them, but I'm pretty sure there's
another world-class player to come in and play."
Kane scored in the 2-1 victory at Celtic Park last week in the
first leg of the knockout phase play-off tie, and Bayern have not lost at home
in the Champions League since April 2021.
Kompany said Celtic were "always dangerous, but so are we.
It's a home game, we'll look to make that play to our advantage."
Bayern midfielder Jamal Musiala insisted the club had "no
excuses" despite the short turnaround after Saturday's top-of-the-table
clash.
"None of us want to have excuses. We're using the days to
prepare well for the game - then we have to give it our all. We're fresh and
will give it everything tomorrow," said Musiala.
Rodgers admitted the gap between his club and the European elite
had widened in recent decades, but called on his charges to "embrace"
the challenge against the six-time winners.
"At this level, you have to play without any fear. There's
worse things in life than losing a game of football, so we want to ensure at
the end of the game we've given it absolutely everything.
"We're not favourites, but anything is possible."
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