Miroslav Klose

The Germany striker is set to spend the next three weeks on the sidelines at Bayern Munich after aggravating a thigh muscle injury in training.

Klose was originally injured playing for his country and he was enjoying a superb run of form for the national side, with six goals in four games this season leaving him only 10 away from equalling Gerd Mueller’s all-time record of 68 in a Germany shirt.

But his domestic record has not been impressive for a while, failing to notch in six Bundesliga appearances this term following on from his most meagre year when he bagged three times in 25 league appearances for the double-winning Munich club.

Having sat out Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over Werder Bremen in the German Cup with ‘flu, Klose pulled up in training and a scan revealed the damage.

Van Gaal will turn to Mario Gomez again tonight with Tony Kroos and Thomas Muller in support as the champions bid to stop a run of results which has seen them take just four points in the last four games.

Injuries can easily be blamed with wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben out for long spells, the latter not having played all season.

The key duo have now been joined on the sidelines by captain Mark van Bommel, defenders Diego Contento and Breno as well as midfielder David Alaba.

With Klose out and fellow striker Ivica Olic still required to wear a facemask to protect a broken nose, Gomez is Bayern’s only fit all-out striker – and he has only scored three times – a hat-trick against hannover a fortnight ago.

Bayern’s lowly tally of eight goals represents the worst return from any club in the Bundesliga this season and they sit 12 points behind pacesetters Mainz going into this weekend’s matches, in 11th place.

Muller, a star of the World Cup who bagged a hat-trick against England, has now failed to score in nine matches for club and country and looks to be struggling in the elevated expectations  of him post-South Africa.

Freiburg are not expected to get much from their Friday night trip to the Allianz arena but can at least boast an in-form striker in Papiss Cisse.

The 25-year-old has scored eight times in nine Bundesliga matches this season and bagged in their shock midweek Cup defeat to second division Energie Cottbus.

Freiburg, however, have lost their last three away matches by a 2-1 scoreline (Bayern 2-1 7/1 in Correct Score) and will be expected to go down again on Friday.

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