Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win over Atlético Madrid has lifted the mood, but the trip to Mainz brings a different test—and a selection puzzle for interim coach Aaron Danks. With several attackers unavailable and Alphonso Davies still building back toward a full workload, Bayern’s options on the left remain open ahead of Saturday.
Mainz demands another high-level display
Danks pointed to Bayern’s recent difficulty against Mainz, including last season’s 3-0 halftime deficit, as a reason to approach the fixture with care. The Atlético performance won’t count for much if Bayern start slowly in a ground Danks considers difficult.
“We’ve always had tough games against Mainz in recent years. Last year we were 3-0 down at halftime. We respect them; it’s a difficult place to play. He’s very competitive—we have to be at our highest level from the first minute. We have to work hard for everything. We already talked about that after the Atlético game: we have an important match on Saturday and we want to continue our run with a good result. But it won’t be easy, we know that,” Danks said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Musiala returns to training, but misses Mainz
Jamal Musiala has rejoined group training, though Danks ruled him out of Saturday’s match. Aleksandar Pavlović completed the latest session, with Bayern monitoring his response day by day. Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig were also due to train ahead of the fixture.
Danks said most of the squad trained the previous day and described Musiala’s return to the grass as positive. He also cautioned that Bayern will need to manage some players’ minutes. Davies, in particular, isn’t ready to play 90 minutes in successive matches, so the staff will decide on his role after reviewing the day’s training.
That leaves the left side as a live question. Serge Gnabry, Musiala and Saibari are unavailable, while Davies may be limited. Danks said Bayern would test different players in training and could still start Davies with restricted minutes if he is fit enough.
“We’ll look at it in training today. We’ll try a few different players there. It may be that Phonzy is fine and he can start, but with restricted minutes. But we’ll have options. We’ll have different players,” Danks said.
Bayern’s attacking rotations could also create alternatives, he added, with fullbacks often moving into forward positions. Danks said the club has several fit fullbacks available, but he hadn’t settled on who would fill the role and planned to discuss the choices with his staff.
Kompany recovery has no fixed return date
Danks also offered an update on Vincent Kompany, who remains away from the team while recovering from health problems. The two have spoken in recent days, and Danks said Kompany sounded positive and appeared to be recovering well. There’s no timetable for his return; the upcoming international break could give the club time to assess his progress.
“I’ve had a couple of really positive phone calls with Vince over recent days. He seems positive. He seems like he’s on a good road to recovery. There’s no set time, no set day, but obviously with the international break coming now, it’d be a good time to reflect and see how he is and when he’s available to return. We’re ready and we’re looking forward to welcoming him back as soon as possible,” Danks said.
Musiala and Díaz expected to train next week
There was also encouraging news on Musiala and Luis Díaz: both are expected to train next week. Bayern hopes they can return to group training after the international break, but Danks didn’t attach a match date to either player’s recovery.
“I think in terms of putting a game on it, or a date on it, it’s really difficult. What’s important is they’ll be in now next week. They’ll train next week. They’ll hopefully be back in for group training after the international break. It’s positive progress. But there’s no set date in terms of a game that they’ll be available for,” Danks said.
For Saturday, Bayern’s immediate priorities are clear: choose a workable left-wing setup, manage Davies’ minutes and carry the intensity of the Atlético win into a challenging Bundesliga away match. The longer-term updates are positive, but the squad still has to navigate the Mainz fixture with its available players.
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