Although they seem to be firmly in control of the Bundesliga narrative as they are the heavy favorites to win a 10th straight title, Bayern Munich now have some major concerns on their hands.
Not only is first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer out for some time due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, but now another of their stalwarts is set to miss at least the next couple of games due to recently testing positive for COVID-19.
Thomas Muller has been highly instrumental in Bayern's dominance this season. While many of the plaudits go to star striker Robert Lewandowski, whose blistering goal-scoring form will surely ensure he defends his Torjägerkanone prize, the fact remains that Lewandowski wouldn't be able to score those goals without assists.
Last season saw Muller establish a new assists record, for the second straight season. The 32-year-old already has racked up 16 so far, while chipping in with seven goals of his own, meaning that he's been directly involved in 23 goals for the Bavarian titans so far this term.
The German international not only has the most assists in Germany, but across all of Europe's "Big Five" leagues.
As such, his upcoming absence will certainly come as a blow for die Roten. This is the second time Muller has tested positive for COVID-19. The first was a year ago in February 2021, which meant that he had to miss out on the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup final.
This time around, Muller, who's the only played to have featured in all 33 competitive games for Bayern this season, will miss Bayern's upcoming match against Eintracht Frankfurt, and potentially their next tie with Bayer Leverkusen.
