Bundesliga returns: Bayern without Kimmich, weather problems

Bayern Munich vice-captain Joshua Kimmich will miss Sunday’s Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg as Germany prepare for icy conditions ahead of the competition’s return after the winter break.

Vincent Kompany’s side resume action at home with a nine-point lead at the top of the table, but Kimmich remains sidelined as he recovers from a recurring ankle problem that has plagued him since November.

«We don’t want to take any risks, he must make a full recovery,» Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said this week. «I can’t say exactly when he will be fit: it won’t be very long, but it could be a few days. It is a precaution so that he can be available for the entire second half of the season.»

There was positive news for Bayern, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer hoping to return after missing the final game of 2025 due to a thigh injury.

Worries again

Several Bundesliga matches this weekend are threatened by extreme winter weather. The temperature in Munich is expected to drop to minus nine degrees Celsius on Sunday, while snow is expected a day earlier. Heavy snowfall has already led to school closures and transport disruptions in northern and eastern Germany.

Hamburg-based St. Pauli said on Thursday they were “closely monitoring” the situation ahead of Saturday’s home match against RB Leipzig, warning that they “cannot guarantee that the match will take place under normal circumstances.” In Berlin, Union Berlin supporters volunteered to help clear snow and ice before Saturday’s match against Mainz.

One player to keep an eye on this weekend is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Younes Ebnoutalib. The 22-year-old striker completed an eight million euro move from second division Elversberg after scoring twelve goals in seventeen games. “A dream come true,” said Frankfurt-born Ebnoutalib, who could make his Bundesliga debut against Borussia Dortmund on Friday. Coach Dino Toppmoeller adds: “It could well be that he starts on Friday.”

Published on January 9, 2026