What are Bayern's options without Kane?

After Kane went to ground just over half an hour into Der Klassiker, you knew it wasn't looking good for the striker. With all eyes on Tuesday’s DFB Cup semi-final against holders Bayer Leverkusen, there was initial hope among the Bayern coaches, players and fans that the Bundesliga’s top scorer’s injury would heal in time. A scan showed otherwise. 

The man with 14 goals and five assists in the Bundesliga this season has suffered a “minor muscle strain in his right hamstring” and is set to miss the game against Die Werkself. Kompany has also said he's unsure if Kane will play again before Christmas - that's five games he'll potentially miss.

It means the Bayern boss faces a conundrum he has not yet encountered during his tenure in Munich, given that his number nine has featured in all 12 Bundesliga games so far this season: Who will replace Kane?

Watch: What makes Harry Kane so good?

Tried-and-tested Müller?

Following the departure of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the summer, Bayern no longer have a like-for-like Kane replacement in their squad, but they do have several players who have filled the central striker position in the past. In Dortmund, Kompany’s first port of call was to bring Thomas Müller on for Kane.

The Raumdeuter has spent almost the entirety of his professional career occupying the space in behind a classic number nine; his positioning in turn opening up more space for the centre-forward, with whom he has always combined brilliantly. The 35-year-old’s footballing intelligence and aerial ability certainly lend themselves to him filling in the number nine role, however, his big goalscoring days seem long behind him.

In the last eight Bundesliga seasons, he has only broken into double figures for goals once, back in the 2020/21 season, in which he grabbed 11. Furthermore, in his last 20 games for Germany before his retirement, he often had to fill in up front but in doing so netted a modest three goals.

Watch: All 150 of Thomas Müller's Bundesliga goals

Müller’s current lack of consistent game time (just 404 minutes played in the Bundesliga this season) may also mean he’s lacking match sharpness, as could have been the case in Dortmund when he missed a great chance in the 49th minute.

A long-awaited chance for Tel?

There is simply no disputing Mathys Tel’s enormous talent - shown by his startling average of one Bundesliga goal every 94 minutes. He’s certainly one Bayern will rely upon in the future, having extended his contract until 2029 last March, but as of yet, the France U21 international has yet to find the back of the net this season.

He has only played 286 minutes this season across all competitions, however. Kompany opted to start Tel in Dortmund, but the youngster went largely under the radar for most of the game, managing just one shot on goal, although that may have been down to his positioning wide on the left.

Watch: The best of Mathys Tel

So far this season, Kompany has deployed Tel as a winger. It is a position in which Tel can operate well, using his speed and technique, but it is not his preferred role. His reputation as an exceptional talent in France was gained for his centre-forward play. During Kane’s absence, Tel can hope for a chance to prove himself playing through the middle.

The “healthy arrogance” that former coach Julian Nagelmsann attested to him, combined with his strong finishing ability, makes Tel a hot candidate to start up front in the game against Leverkusen. The Frenchman impressed when Bayern hosted Xabi Alonso’s men last season, managing to grab an assist as a substitute in a 2-2 draw.

Gnabry back to his ruthless self?

Another option for Kompany to fill the Kane-shaped hole in attack is Serge Gnabry, although he may not feature in the Leverkusen game having missed out on Der Klassiker with knee problems. Like Tel and Müller, Gnabry typically plays down the flanks or in an advanced midfield position. However, like Müller, he has often filled in as a striker for both club and country, impressing on the occasions in which he has done so.

He made a decisive contribution to winning the Bundesliga title in the final five matchdays of the 2022/23 season from this position, with an impressive run of five goals. He also provided the assist for Jamal Musiala’s dramatic late final day title-winning strike in Cologne.

Gnabry made a strong start to the 2024/25 Bundesliga season with four goal involvements in the first four games, but since then he has not scored and has been restricted to featuring off the bench in recent weeks. Should the 2020 treble winner be back fit for Leverkusen, however, his tried-and-tested decision-making qualities could make him the perfect candidate.

Musiala the form man?

One last surprising alternative to a like-for-like replacement for Kane could involve a tactical shift. Playing without a designated centre-forward was a system last practised in Munich under Nagelsmann, with four attacking players fluidly rotating up front in a 4-2-3-1. That was designed to be difficult for opponents to defend against, with markers being unable to set up man-for-man. Whether Bayern would get the chance to train that in detail ahead of a clash against top opponents on Tuesday evening is open to question, however.

Watch: The best of Jamal Musiala

Regardless of who ultimately replaces Kane, Musiala remains a key figure for Bayern in their bid to win the title. The midfield maestro has developed into a real fox-in-the-box at times with a new knack of headed goals. His strike against Dortmund was the fifth headed effort in his past eight goals. His fine finishing form will certainly cushion the blow of losing top scorer Kane.

The last few weeks have been laden with goals for the starlet, with six in the Bundesliga already this season and three in the last round of the cup against Mainz. Kompany will hope his killer instinct will shine once more against Leverkusen – if Musiala can’t find a teammate in the box, he won’t think twice before unleashing a shot himself.

>>> Follow Bayern vs. Leverkusen without Kane here!