Bayern Munich Faces Borussia Dortmund in Beckenbauer Super Cup Without Musiala
Bayern Munich step into a new season on Saturday night with a familiar stage and a new name. The traditional curtain-raiser to the German campaign, now called the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup, pits the Rekordmeister against old rivals Borussia Dortmund – and it does so without one of their brightest stars.
Musiala out of Super Cup after alarming week
Vincent Kompany takes charge of his first competitive game as Bayern coach with a powerful squad at his disposal, but Jamal Musiala will not be involved. The club has decided to rest the 23-year-old after two worrying incidents in pre-season.
Musiala collapsed twice in four days, first against RB Leipzig and then versus Heidenheim. He later explained on social media that a minor neurological issue was behind the episodes, stressing that it will not end his career or stop him playing for Bayern.
The images still jolted the club. Bayern have opted for caution.
Musiala will sit out the clash with Dortmund as the medical team manage his workload and adjust his treatment. The decision is protective, not punitive, and made with the long season in mind.
Bayern calm over condition, eye Stuttgart return
Inside Säbener Straße, there is no sense of panic. Bayern have known about Musiala’s neurological condition for more than a year. What changed recently were the side effects from a switch in medication, which triggered the problems seen in the two friendlies.
On Friday, sporting director Max Eberl and Kompany laid out the situation in their pre-Super Cup press conference. The plan is straightforward: Musiala is expected to revert to the previous medication that had worked well for him, with the club confident that this will stabilise things.
The playmaker has already taken steps back toward normality. He completed an individual training session at Säbener Straße, closely monitored by medical and coaching staff. Bayern believe he will be ready for the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart next Friday.
Inside the dressing room, his situation is no secret. Team-mates have publicly rallied around him in recent days, but internally they have been aware of his condition for some time. At Bayern, it is treated as part of his medical profile, not a daily talking point.
The expectation is clear: Musiala is backed to stay healthy and deliver a big season.
A year to forget – and a season to reclaim
The last 12 months have already tested him. Musiala suffered a serious injury against PSG in the Club World Cup last summer, an issue that sidelined him for more than seven months. By the time he returned, rhythm and sharpness had to be rebuilt almost from scratch.
That stop-start year has sharpened the desire around him. Club bosses and supporters alike are desperate to see the fluid, fearless version of Musiala again – the one who glides past defenders and decides games.
Kompany’s Bayern, built around intensity and positional clarity, looks tailor-made for that kind of footballer. The club’s stance is unmistakable: protect him now, unleash him across the season.
Super Cup absentees pile up
Musiala is not the only key name missing for the Beckenbauer Super Cup. Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry are also ruled out as they continue their recoveries from respective injuries.
So Bayern go into a showpiece against Dortmund slightly light on attacking depth, but with a long game in mind. The trophy on Saturday matters. The condition of their future superstar over the next nine months matters even more.
