Bayern Munich is preparing for a Bundesliga tilt against SC Freiburg this week (preview) and hoping to return to winning ways after dropping points to Union Berlin last time out.
Sandwiched between was an international break that proved to be pretty good for Germany…but it means that players are juggling more load. Thursday was the first day back in training for Bayern’s international contingent, with long-injured left-backs Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Itō joining the crew:
Itō is making good progress and his return looks imminent, per a report from Kicker journalist Frank Linkesch. As captured by @iMiaSanMia:
Hiroki Itō could be back in the squad against Freiburg on Saturday. Bayern gave the Japanese defender all the time he needed to make a full recovery – and within the club, it is said that things are looking very good for him. Itō has been training with the team for two weeks [@FrankLinkesch, @kicker]
Itō himself declared (as captured by Sky Germany journalist Kerry Hau) that he would be ‘ready’ for the match. It has been a long road back for the Japanese international, so look for him to be worked in slowly.
It was a public training session also, which meant that fans got a chance to get in on the action — and collect some photos and signatures from their favorites:
However, Bayern have a few absences to deal with as well. Notably, Manuel Neuer has been missing all week with what is described as a ‘gastrointestinal infection’. Per Hau, Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry are also still working individually, while Jamal Musiala, of course, is still in rehab. Will Vincent Kompany keep his Germany stars rested with a view to the upcoming Arsenal match in the Champions League next week?
