Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks says the club will make “no big changes” for Saturday’s Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund despite Vincent Kompany’s continued absence.
Kompany was released from hospital on Wednesday after collapsing during training last week. The Bayern manager had been suffering from a virus before the incident, which happened during a second-team training session, and was diagnosed with meningeal irritation.
The Belgian is expected to remain away from the team for some time as he recovers. Danks will oversee Bayern for the second match since Kompany’s collapse, having taken charge of the midweek German Cup victory over Magdeburg.
Danks said Bayern’s players would be expected to maintain their usual approach in the high-profile Der Klassiker at the Allianz Arena.
“We want the players to go out and show who they are,” he told a news conference in Munich.
“No big changes, no big differences for us. We will be ready and super competitive.”
Danks, who has been part of Kompany’s coaching set-up since 2024, acknowledged that there would be differences in the way the team was managed in the Belgian’s absence.
“There is a difference [in coaching]. Vinnie did not want his assistant coaches to be mini-Vinnies,” he said. “We are all different, but we complement each other.”
Bayern sit top of the Bundesliga, with Dortmund directly behind them solely on goal difference. The leaders then travel to Madrid to face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Danks expected to remain in charge for at least the next few matches.
Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said Kompany’s absence had been difficult to anticipate, but insisted the club’s coaching structure had enabled a smooth handover.
“What happened with Vinnie is difficult to prepare for,” Eberl said. “What we said at the start of his illness is that we have a coaching staff. Vinnie is up front with a big personality, but there is a whole team.”
He added: “It is nothing new for the lads. It is not a situation we could have planned for, but we have seamlessly made the transition.”
Kompany joined Bayern Munich as head coach in 2024 and has been absent since his collapse last week. Danks’ immediate responsibilities include the meeting with Dortmund and the Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid, while Kompany continues his recovery away from the team.