Manuel Neuer is out, and Jonas Urbig is undergoing tests following his collision against Dortmund. As a result, Sven Ulreich—of all people—could once again take center stage at Bayern.

While FC Bayern has to cope with absences on offense, a shortage in goal also looms ahead of the Champions League match at Atlético Madrid. Manuel Neuer continues to struggle with foot problems, and now Jonas Urbig is also being examined following his violent collision in the “Derby.” If both are unavailable, Sven Ulreich would be called upon. For the veteran, it would be a situation he’s already familiar with from this year.

According to information from BILD, it appears that Tuesday’s match might still come too soon for Neuer. The captain is not expected to return until he is fully fit. His terse response—“I hope so!”—when asked about playing in Madrid left everything open after the Dortmund game.

Added to this is the uncertainty surrounding Urbig. During the 2-2 draw, the goalkeeper was struck in the face by Carney Chukwuemeka’s knee and appeared briefly dazed afterward. Although he was able to continue playing, According to BILD, however, the Munich club is closely monitoring whether any symptoms develop later. If there are signs of a concussion, they won’t take any risks.

It is therefore not yet certain that Urbig will be sidelined. However, this situation could mean that Ulreich will have to step between the posts in a challenging Champions League away game, of all places.

Ulreich last played in Leverkusen

The fact that Bayern can rely on their third-string goalkeeper in such a situation was already evident back in March. At that time, both Neuer and Urbig were out for the top Bundesliga match in Leverkusen. Ulreich stepped in and played a major role in the 1-1 draw with several strong saves. His reaction to Ibrahim Maza’s shot in stoppage time, in particular, secured the point for Munich.

Prior to that appearance, the experienced goalkeeper had waited more than 500 days for a spot in the starting lineup. “When you haven’t played for that long, it takes a few minutes to get back into the rhythm, because a game is different from practice,” Ulreich explained at the time on Sky.

That’s exactly where the challenge would lie in the event of a possible appearance in Madrid: having to perform immediately without regular playing time. The performance in Leverkusen at least provides Bayern with an example that Ulreich can handle this task.

He described his role after that game as follows: “The guys have known me for a long time and trust me; they know I’m always there when I’m needed.”

Everything still depends on how things develop with Neuer and Urbig. But while Bayern are primarily worried about their remaining offensive players, the man who usually stays in the background could also play a key role on Tuesday.

This article was translated into English by AI. You can read the original version here https://fcbinside.de/2026/11/02/ploetzlich-wieder-ulreich-bayern-droht-der-torwart-notfall/.