Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich ruled out of Arsenal clash after personal tragedy

· Mirror

Bayern Munich host Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday night and will be without key player Joshua Kimmich, who is unavailable due to a death in his family

Joshua Kimmich won't play for Bayern Munich against Arsenal on Wednesday night following a death in his family.

Kimmich is a key player for Bayern and would ordinarily be one of the first names on the team sheet for Vincent Kompany. But the German giants confirmed on Wednesday morning that he would miss the match for personal reasons.

Bayern said in a statement:

> "Due to a death in his immediate family, Joshua Kimmich is not in the squad today for the match against Arsenal London. > > "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."

Bayern assistant manager Aaron Danks had cast doubt over Kimmich's availability in Tuesday's pre-match press conference. "For Joshua it is personal reasons. I am not sure what it means for tomorrow," he said.

Danks faced the media due to manager Kompany struggling with illness. "Vince has had a virus, and it is important for him to rest," Danks said. "So he is at home. We are taking it day by day. He will play his role in the game whether in the Allianz Arena or not."

Bayern will also be without star playmaker Michael Olise after he was sent off in their 3-3 draw against Viking FK last week. Jamal Musiala is also unavailable due to a thigh injury, meaning Lennart Karl is likely to come into the starting line-up.

However, Manuel Neuer is expected to start in goal after missing the dramatic Viking draw and Saturday's 6-1 win over RB Leipzig due to a foot problem.

Asked about Bayern being without Olise, Mikel Arteta said:

> "I don’t know [if it is an advantage], I don’t want to say who is the best player in these kind of games. > > "He’s out, but when you look at the squad the starting possible XI that they have, you know, first of all, as a team, 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 they can creator throughout the game when you look at the goals and chances that they generate. > > "So that’s the opposition that you want to be facing and we will be facing tomorrow and we’re just going to confront that and go for it."

Arsenal will be without injured trio William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapie, but Martin Zubimendi could feature after returning from an injury he sustained against Leeds.

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