Jamal Musiala to miss Bayern Munich opener as club follows revised medical plan

Bayern Munich will not risk Jamal Musiala in their Bundesliga opener against Stuttgart on Friday after deciding the match comes too soon for the Germany international following two recent fainting episodes.

Musiala was also absent from Bayern’s German Super Cup victory last week as he continues a specific rehabilitation and monitoring programme. The club’s medical team has adjusted his medication and is assessing his response before allowing him to return to competitive action.

The 22-year-old collapsed during a friendly against Leipzig on 15 August. He experienced a similar episode only three days later during another match against Heidenheim.

The incidents have been linked to a neurological condition that can cause what are known as absence seizures. These are temporary episodes during which a person loses consciousness or becomes unable to respond. Musiala has spoken publicly about the episodes following the two incidents.

Bayern’s medical staff have changed the dosage of the medication Musiala takes in an attempt to restore the level of control achieved during the previous season. The midfielder has been training individually since last Thursday.

Doctors overseeing his condition believe Musiala is able to continue playing football and say he does not have a physical problem that prevents him from taking part. However, the immediate priority is to give the revised medication enough time to produce its full effect.

That process normally takes between 10 and 14 days, meaning Bayern are adopting a cautious approach rather than pushing Musiala back into action at the start of their league campaign.

The club intends to ease him back into full team training during the current week. If the medical and coaching plans proceed as expected, Bayern’s away fixture against Schalke in the second round of the Bundesliga is regarded as the earliest realistic opportunity for Musiala to return to match action.

His absence will remove one of Bayern’s most influential attacking players from their opening league fixture, although the club’s decision reflects the need to monitor his health carefully after the two recent episodes.

Musiala had missed the German Super Cup last week before Bayern settled on the decision to keep him out of Friday’s meeting with Stuttgart. The revised treatment plan, rather than any physical injury, is the reason for the delay to his comeback.

The information was reported by Spanish newspaper AS, citing German publication Bild. Further discussion of the latest football news and developments is available through the Koora forums.