Korean national team defender Kim Min-jae has traveled to Spain with FC Bayern Munich ahead of their crucial UEFA Champions League match against Atlético Madrid, arriving following continued reports regarding his international career intentions, as SPOTV NEWS reported.
The fixture takes place at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on November 4 at 5 a.m. Korean time. It marks the fourth match of the league phase in Europe’s premier club competition. Bayern Munich enters the contest sitting in 14th place in the 36-team standings after securing just one win and two draws in their opening three matches.
Bayern Munich Names Depleted Squad for Upcoming Fixture
Bayern Munich released its official squad list on November 3 through its website, with Kim Min-jae named among the traveling defenders. The German club faces a depleted roster due to a wave of injuries across the squad.
The global sports outlet noted that Atlético Madrid enters the fixture in strong domestic and European form, recording eight wins and one draw across their last nine outings. Conversely, Bayern Munich has drawn four of their last seven official matches and failed to keep a clean sheet during that stretch. The absence of manager Vincent Kompany, who continues to recover from health issues, adds an extra layer of uncertainty for the visitors.
Spanish Media Projects Starting Place for Lee Kang-In
Local media outlets in Spain project that South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in will secure a starting place for Atlético Madrid alongside Julián Alvarez. If both players take the pitch from the opening whistle, the match will feature a direct Champions League encounter between two of South Korea’s most prominent European-based footballers.
| Team | Current UCL League Phase Standing | Recent Form (Last 7-9 Matches) |
|---|---|---|
| Atlético Madrid | Unspecified top half | 8 Wins, 1 Draw (Last 9 games) |
| Bayern Munich | 14th Place (1 Win, 2 Draws) | 4 Draws in last 7 matches |
This upcoming Spanish trip also follows a turbulent period for the South Korean national setup. Reports surfaced following the Uzbekistan international fixture indicating that members of the squad’s 1996 birth-year cohort—including Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan—had communicated potential intentions to step away from national team duty to their teammates. That controversy generated significant public scrutiny across domestic football circles.
The format requires all 36 participating clubs to play eight fixtures within a single table framework, where finishing inside the top eight secures direct passage to the round of 16.
