Joshua Kimmich set to miss Bayern Munich vs Arsenal clash after ‘immediate family’ death

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The Bayern Munich veteran will be unavailable after experiencing a death in his family, missing the Champions League clash for personal reasons.

The Bundesliga champions penned a statement in support of the midfielder, writing: “Due to a death in his immediate family, Joshua Kimmich is not in the squad today for the match against Arsenal in London.”

The statement continued: “On behalf of the family, we ask that his privacy and grief be respected, and that further inquiries and reporting be refrained from.

“In deep sympathy, the entire FC Bayern stands by Joshua Kimmich’s side,” concluded the club’s writing.

It was already established on Tuesday evening by assistant manager Aaron Danks that Kimmich would likely be unavailable to face the Gunners.

In a pre-match Champions League presser, Danks revealed: “For Joshua, it is personal reasons. I am not sure what it means for [the Arsenal game].”

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Danks was reporting for media duties in light of Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany being unavailable through illness.

“Vince has a virus, and it is important for him to rest,” revealed Danks. Whether Kompany will be present in Wednesday’s match is unclear, but the Belgian’s assistant manager clarified that he “will play his role in the game, whether in the Allianz Arena or not.”

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will be without Michael Olise, who saw red in last week’s 3-3 draw versus Viking FC in the Champions League.

In a pre-match press conference, during which Mikel Arteta responded to “cheating” allegations directed at Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal boss then turned his attention instead to Bayern Munich’s right-hand side. Jamal Musiala is also absent with a thigh injury.

“I don’t want to say who is the best player in these kind of games… [Olise] is out, but when you look at the starting possible XI… how incredibly well coached they are.

“The mindset that they have, the competition that they have in every action, and the individual quality moments… that’s the opposition we will be facing,” concluded Arteta.

For Arsenal, their injury woes extend to a trio in William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapie, none of whom are expected to participate versus Bayern Munich.

Kedar Bayley Freelance Writer Kedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC, he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television, you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.

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