FC Bayern Munich will have to cope without Aleksandar Pavlovic for an extended period. The 20-year-old national player is currently suffering from a „persistent infection,“ according to the Bundesliga leaders. He will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Pavlovic will miss the upcoming Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum on Saturday at 15:30, as well as the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen next Tuesday. He also missed the first leg, which Bayern won 3-0, in front of national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
This news is particularly concerning for Nagelsmann, as he will announce the national team roster next week for the Nations League quarter-finals against Italy. The knockout matches are set to take place on March 20 in Milan and three days later in Dortmund. Even if Pavlovic recovers from his illness soon, he may lack the necessary fitness for those matches.
The short statement from FC Bayern on Friday afternoon ended the public speculation regarding Pavlovic’s condition. Coach Vincent Kompany had refrained from providing further details about the national player’s illness during the press conference ahead of the Bochum game.