Musiala suffers another muscle injury, will miss Bayern's clash with Augsburg

Jamal Musiala is back in the treatment room. And once again, it happened on international duty with Germany. The Bayern Munich playmaker picked up the injury while warming up before the Nations League match against the Netherlands on September 24, and the Bavarian club confirmed what nobody wanted to hear again: a muscle tear, though they're calling it "minor."

It's been just a few months since that image that went around the world, Musiala collapsing on the field during preseason, not once but twice. Kompany explained at the time that those episodes were linked to a change in medication used to treat a neurological condition the player has dealt with. Now, at 23, the German international is sidelined once more, having already missed three of the seven matches Bayern have played this season.

Vincent Kompany didn't dodge the subject when asked about his player on Friday. The Belgian coach, who dealt with his own share of injuries during his playing career, struck a tone that was both warm and optimistic.

"I can identify with his story of setbacks. I've lived through it many times in my own career. Knowing how to come back from that is a great strength."Vincent Kompany

The coach went further, making clear he fully trusts Musiala's resilience, someone who has already shown he knows how to bounce back when things get tough.

"I hope he can enjoy football again in the coming years, and I believe he will. Once you learn how to come back from moments like this, you carry that ability with you for the rest of your life. That's something Jamal has always shown. In every situation, he knows how to fight his way back, and he always does. We've seen how happy the team and the fans get when he scores a goal. We'll experience those moments again."Vincent Kompany

Meanwhile, life goes on, and Bayern have a Bundesliga match this Saturday against Augsburg, with Musiala as the only confirmed absence from the squad. The goal is clear: keep the unbeaten start to the season going, something Kompany's side has managed by racking up six wins in seven matchdays, with the only blemish being a 0-0 draw against Schalke that left them slightly off the pace at the top of the table.

No ordinary opponent

Augsburg come into the match having cooled off after a strong start to the campaign, conceding six goals in their last three matches. But Kompany isn't taking anything for granted, and for good reason: it was Augsburg, after all, who were the only team to beat Bayern in the league last season, winning 2-1 at the Allianz Arena back in January.

"It's a very important match. We lost a Bundesliga game last year, against Augsburg. It's still a derby, and it's an away match. Augsburg are known for their compact formation and their ability to be very dangerous on the ball. They have a lot of individual quality, more than people sometimes realize. They've started the season with momentum. It's still a derby, the fans are looking forward to it, and so are we."Vincent Kompany

The schedule isn't giving anyone a break, either. After the international break, this Saturday kicks off a stretch of seven matches in 20 days, with the trip to Norway to face Viking FK in the Champions League already looming the following Tuesday, on artificial turf.

Asked about that physical demand, Kompany was direct: he'd rather play constantly than deal with long layoffs.

"We have the squad for this. We want to go into every match with 100 percent conviction. I'd rather play every three days than have a long break. Load management only comes into play when players are tired; then you have to make a good decision, and that's not the case yet. We'll make sensible decisions for the team."Vincent Kompany