Manuel Neuer always plays! This statement is considered a law at FC Bayern, but it must be overruled at the start of the second half of the season. Sven Ulreich could benefit from this if his PCR test is negative on Monday.
Sven Ulreich played the last of his 221 Bundesliga games so far on 20 June 2020, when FC Bayern, already confirmed as German champions, beat SC Freiburg 3-1 at home on matchday 33 of the 2019/20 season. For the goalkeeper, an ultimately unsuccessful year in the 2nd division at Hamburger SV followed before the 33-year-old returned to Munich as number 2 behind Manuel Neuer before this season. Now Ulreich is set to make his Bundesliga comeback on Friday evening against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Captain Neuer is in domestic isolation at his resort in the Maldives after testing positive for Corona, as did Kingsley Coman (In Dubai), Corentin Tolisso (France), Omar Richards and co-coach Dino Toppmöller. Neuer’s absence against Mönchengladbach is definite. If his infection is of the omicron variety, he could also miss the game at 1. FC Köln on 15 January.
Only in the course of Monday will it become clear whether other players of the record champion have brought the virus with them from their Christmas holiday, all of them will undergo a PCR test at Säbener Straße in the morning. If Ulreich’s test is negative, there will be nothing standing in the way of his comeback as Neuer’s deputy. Ulreich has only played once this season, in the 12-0 win over Bremer SV in the first round of the cup. In between, he took almost three months off due to a knee injury, but was back on the bench in the last competitive games before Christmas. In this case, the reserve role would go to Christian Früchtl (21), who has no professional experience because he never played either at FC Bayern or in his loan year at 1. FC Nürnberg (2020/21).
