Right-back for Bayern Munich After rupturing a ligament in his left ankle during Saturday’s practice, Rafinha appears to be in for a protracted period of time on the sidelines.
The 28-year-old Brazilian was injured, and the club’s Twitter account verified it, but it was unclear how long he would be out.
According to UEFA, the player’s own heartbroken reaction to the injury signals he may be out of commission for some time: “Of course I am really unhappy. Up until this point, my preparation had been excellent. I’m really, really sad.
On Wednesday, Bayern takes on Borussia Dortmund in the DFL Supercup, and on August 22, they begin defending their Bundesliga championship against Wolfsburg.
Rafinha’s potential absence from these games will be a major setback for Bayern, as evidenced by the fact that he made 28 league appearances during the team’s successful season last year.
After using Philipp Lahm primarily as a central midfielder last season, Bayern manager Pep Guardiola may be forced to switch him back to his normal right-back position if Rafinha is unavailable.
According to football writer Graham Ruthven, some people would view this as a blessing in disguise given Lahm’s stellar performances in the position as Germany won the World Cup in Brazil:
Losing Rafinha is undoubtedly a setback for Bayern. Guardiola is likely to be hesitant to switch Lahm to right-back since he offers stability on the right flank.
The match against Dortmund will serve as an excellent indicator of where Bayern is ahead of the upcoming league season, in which the Bavarian team will once again be strong favorites.
Bayern’s strength is such that they should fight not only for the Bundesliga but also for the Champions League, despite their most recent preseason loss to the MLS All-Stars.
Rafinha’s injury, though, may cause Guardiola to alter his plans a little bit until the defender is able to return.
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