Bayern Munich Confirms Jamal Musiala Will Miss Bundesliga Opener vs. Stuttgart as Kompany Provides Health Update, João Palhinha Departs for Benfica

Bayern Munich opens the defense of its Bundesliga title Friday against VfB Stuttgart without Jamal Musiala, as coach Vincent Kompany confirmed the German international is still working his way back from a medication adjustment tied to a neurological condition that caused him to collapse twice during preseason. The update lands the same week Bayern lost midfielder João Palhinha to Benfica, adding a second major storyline to a club otherwise chasing history after a record-breaking 2025-26 campaign.

Musiala, 23, has not played since collapsing in back-to-back preseason friendlies this month — first against RB Leipzig on Aug. 15, then again three days later at Heidenheim. He subsequently revealed he manages a neurological disorder that produces “temporary, brief, but easily treatable” seizures, a condition Bayern says the club and player have been aware of since last season. Sporting director Max Eberl said a change to Musiala’s treatment plan triggered the recent episodes, and the medical staff has spent the past week readjusting his dosage.

Kompany Provides Latest Update on Musiala

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Kompany said Musiala took part in full team training but will not be included in Friday’s squad against Stuttgart. “Generally speaking, Jamal is doing pretty well,” Kompany said. “He is taking part in team training today but is not yet in the squad for tomorrow.” The coach added that Musiala is “getting used to the increased medication” and that his return will be determined in consultation with team doctors. “He’ll be back in the squad at some point and play. We’re making the decision in consultation with the experts. He’s doing well,” Kompany said. Musiala already sat out Bayern’s 2-1 German Super Cup win over Borussia Dortmund last weekend, and Friday’s opener will mark his second straight missed match to begin the new campaign.

The timing stings for Bayern, given how central Musiala has been to Kompany’s attack when healthy. His absence also arrives just as the club parted ways with a different midfielder entirely — João Palhinha completed a permanent move to Benfica on Wednesday, returning to his native Portugal on a four-year deal after two years in Munich. The 31-year-old made just 25 appearances in his first Bayern season following a big-money move from Fulham in 2024, then spent last season on loan at Tottenham, where he made 33 appearances and helped the London club avoid relegation on the final day. “We’ve discussed João Palhinha’s situation openly with him and found a solution that we could all agree on,” Eberl said in a statement. “He’s decided to continue his career in his home country.”

A Treble Chase Begins at Allianz Arena

None of that changes the scale of what Bayern is chasing this season. Kompany’s side enters Friday’s 8:30 p.m. CEST kickoff off the back of a historic 2025-26 campaign that produced a Bundesliga and DFB Pokal double, a record-setting 122 goals in 34 league matches — the most in a single Bundesliga season ever, surpassing the 101-goal mark set in 1971-72 — and just one domestic loss all year. Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz spearheaded an attack that scored in every one of Bayern’s 55 competitive matches last season, and the club has already added a trophy to the new campaign with its Super Cup win over Dortmund. Stuttgart, meanwhile, arrives at the Allianz Arena as the DFB Pokal runners-up from May’s 3-0 final defeat and the fourth-place finisher in last season’s table, giving Friday’s rematch some familiar sting even without last year’s magnitude. Fans tracking the match alongside FanDuel promo code offers will find Bayern installed as a heavy favorite, continuing a run in which the club has gone unbeaten on Bundesliga openers since 2011.

The larger question hanging over the season is how quickly Bayern can reintegrate Musiala into a squad already brimming with attacking talent, and whether his health situation stabilizes enough for him to reclaim the level of form he showed before a serious injury cost him six months last year. Kompany has been careful not to put a timeline on his return, deferring instead to medical staff, but the coach’s public comments this week suggest the club expects Musiala back sooner rather than later. For now, Bayern’s title defense begins without him — and without Palhinha in the midfield mix at all — but with enough attacking depth and momentum that Friday’s opener still arrives as a near-formality on paper, and a treble pursuit that Kompany’s group is fully expected to embrace as the year progresses.