The Japan Times - Injured Kimmich to miss icy Bundesliga return for Bayern

Vincent Kompany's side will be hoping to strengthen their nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga when they return from the winter break at home to Wolfsburg this weekend.

Yet they will be without star midfielder Kimmich, who is still recovering from a recurring ankle issue that has plagued him since November.

"We don’t want to take any risks, he should make a complete recovery," Bayern sporting director Max Eberl told German media this week.

"I can’t say exactly when he will be fit: it won't be a very long time, but it could be a few days. It’s a precaution so that he can be available for the whole second half of the season," he added.

While Kimmich may miss out, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is hoping to return to action on Sunday after missing the last game of 2025 due to a thigh injury.

Bayern's clash with Wolfsburg is one of several Bundesliga games threatened by extreme winter weather this weekend.

Temperatures in Munich are expected to reach lows of minus nine degrees Celsius on Sunday, with snow forecast the day before.

The north and east of Germany were also hit by heavy snow this week, with school closures in Hamburg and Bremen and interruptions to public transport across the country.

In a statement on Thursday, Hamburg-based club St. Pauli said they were "closely monitoring the situation" ahead of their home game against RB Leipzig on Saturday.

"Due to the weather situation, we cannot guarantee that the game will take place under normal conditions," the club warned.

In the capital, fans of Union Berlin volunteered Thursday to help clear ice and snow from the stadium entrances ahead of Saturday's game against Mainz.

One to watch - Younes Ebnoutalib

Eintracht Frankfurt fans will give a rousing welcome to local rising star Younes Ebnoutalib this Friday after he completed a fairytale eight million euro move to his hometown club during the winter break.

The 22-year-old scored 12 goals in 17 games for second-division side Elversberg in the first half of the season, and has been billed as "one of the most exciting young strikers in Germany" by Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung.

At his unveiling on Tuesday, Frankfurt-born Ebnoutalib described the move as "a dream come true"

A year ago, he was still playing for minnows FC Giessen in the fourth tier of German football.

This weekend, he will hope to make his Bundesliga debut when Eintracht open Matchday 16 against Borussia Dortmund.

"We believe Younes can go far, he is very hardworking and eager to learn," said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmoeller on Thursday.

"It could well be that he starts on Friday."

Key stats

19 - Harry Kane has scored 19 goals in 15 games for Bayern Munich so far, just one fewer than Robert Lewandowski had scored at the same stage when he set the Bundesliga season record of 41 in 2021.

36 - A total of 36 goals have been scored in injury time in the Bundesliga season so far, the most ever after 15 games.

795 - Mainz coach Urs Fischer returns to his former club Union Berlin Saturday, 795 days after he last sat in the home dugout at the Alte Försterei.

Fixtures (1430 GMT unless stated)

Friday

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund (1930)

Saturday

Freiburg v Hamburg, Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim, Union Berlin v Mainz, St. Pauli v RB Leipzig, Heidenheim v Cologne, Bayer Leverkusen v Stuttgart (1730)

Sunday

Borussia Moenchengladbach v Augsburg (1430), Bayern Munich v Wolfsburg (1630)

H.Takahashi--JT