Bayern Faces Goalkeeper Crisis Before Atalanta Clash

Bayern Munich faces a goalkeeper crisis ahead of its Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Atalanta on Wednesday, with injuries sidelining its top three options and potentially thrusting 16-year-old academy prospect Leonard Prescott into the starting lineup.

The German champions announced Sunday that backup goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, 37, suffered a torn right adductor muscle during Saturday's 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Bayer Leverkusen. Ulreich had stepped in as the third-choice keeper after Jonas Urbig sustained a concussion in the final minute of Bayern's 6-1 victory over Atalanta in the first leg last Tuesday in Italy. First-choice Manuel Neuer remains out with a calf muscle tear, which he is working to recover from, though club officials indicated he is unlikely to be fit for the return match at Allianz Arena in Munich.

Urbig, Bayern's second-string keeper, is expected to return next week, according to the club's statement, but his availability for Wednesday remains uncertain pending further evaluation of the concussion. With Ulreich now sidelined for an indefinite period, Bayern's senior goalkeeper depth is depleted, leaving the team to consider younger alternatives for...