Harry Kane is racing against time to recover in time for his team Bayern Munich match against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2026 Champions League quarter-finals.
The England international was injured while on international duty with England and subsequently missed the match against Japan at Wembley Stadium last Tuesday.
Kane to miss Bayern Munich vs. Freiburg Bundesliga match
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany announced that Harry Kane will not be able to participate in the Bavarian giants’ match against Freiburg in the Bundesliga, scheduled for Saturday at Europa Park.
1️⃣ | 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝘇𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂̈𝗴𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻
🗣️Kompany: „Harry hat gut trainiert bis Sonntag, dann hat er bei der Nationalmannschaft sein Sprunggelenk gespürt. Das hat Einfluss auf das Spiel von morgen – er wird nicht zur… pic.twitter.com/KfpfAaqnHX— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) April 3, 2026
The 31-year-old is still suffering from the effects of his previous injury, and Kompany preferred to leave him out of the Freiburg match entirely, not even including him on the bench, in order to give him the necessary time to fully recover in the hope of being fit for the Real Madrid match.
Kompany optimistic about Kane’s availability for the Real Madrid match
“Harry was training well with England until Sunday,” the Belgian coach said at Friday’s press conference. “That’s when he felt pain in his ankle, and because of that, he won’t be able to play tomorrow against Freiburg.”
He added, answering the crucial question about the player’s availability for the match at the Santiago Bernabéu next Tuesday, “The truth is, I’m optimistic that he’ll be able to play against Real Madrid. The situation isn’t ideal; I wanted him to play against Freiburg, but things didn’t go as we hoped, and he won’t be able to.”
Bayern Munich almost at full strength against Real Madrid
Aside from Kane’s injury, Bayern Munich is almost at full strength for their two Champions League matches against Real Madrid.
The Bavarian club has already welcomed back their star goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after a period of absence, and Jonas Orbig is also expected to return before the first leg and start on the bench.
Bayern Munich will only have two confirmed absences against Real Madrid: third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, who was injured during the Bayer Leverkusen match, and Jamal Musiala, who has been sidelined since the start of the season after suffering a setback last month.
Thus, if Kane plays as Kompany hopes, Bayern Munich will have no significant absences, unlike Real Madrid, who are facing a number of injuries. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remains unavailable, in addition to Raúl Asensio, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Éder Militão, and Rodrygo Goes.
Harry Kane with Bayern Munich this season
Kane boasts an impressive goal tally of 53 goals for his club and country in 45 appearances this season, including 10 goals in the Champions League.
Kane, who is on the verge of renewing his contract with Bayern Munich, has scored 31 goals in 26 Bundesliga matches, along with 6 goals in the German Cup and one in the German Super Cup, for a total of 48 goals in 40 matches across all competitions.
Bayern Munich currently leads the Bundesliga by 9 points over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. They will face Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-finals and then face the daunting task of playing Real Madrid in the Champions League.
