Thomas Tuchel's new favorite center-back pairing of Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier was disrupted during Bayern Munich's recent Bundesliga clash against Eintracht Frankfurt, with de Ligt being forced off at halftime due to a minor knee injury.

This unfortunately meant that the Dutchman was unavailable for selection for Bayern's midweek Champions League semifinal first leg against Real Madrid.

Fellow center-back Kim Min-jae was chosen in De Ligt's place, and it's fair to say that the Netherlands star was sorely missed against the Spanish giants, as Kim was directly involved in the concession of both goals scored by Vinicius Junior on the night.

Luckily de Ligt will probably be available for the second leg away at Madrid, however, the defender remains a doubt for Bayern's weekend match at VfB Stuttgart. As captured by Abendzeitung journalist Maximilian Koch (via @iMiaSanMia), De Ligt responded to questions regarding his availability for Bayern's next league game, saying, "We have to wait and see. We're looking day by day."

Frank Linkesch of kicker (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) is backing up Koch, too, as he says there is a "good chance" of De Ligt playing against Real Madrid next week:

There's a good chance that Matthijs de Ligt will be available against Real Madrid next week. Internally, Bayern expect him to be able to play. The Dutchman would then start alongside Eric Dier at the Bernabeu.

While the De Ligt and Dier partnership has been fruitful thus far, it might just be a better idea to keep De Ligt on the bench even if he is fit for the weekend. Surely subbing him in with 15-20 minutes to go with the aim of avoiding further injury while keeping him sharp is the play.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich's insane 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League? Then join Chuck for the Bavarian Podcast Works - Postgame Show, where he breaks it all down! Check it on Spotify or below:

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