Bayern Munich could be without Arturo Vidal for the decisive weeks of the season after it was confirmed that the midfielder needs a small operation on his knee.

Vidal is a doubt for both legs of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid as he requires knee surgery, head coach Jupp Heynckes has confirmed.

The 30-year-old felt pain in his right knee during training on Sunday and was sent for further tests.

Heynckes says the Chilean now requires a small operation to remove ‘a loose body’ from within the joint, meaning he faces a spell on the sidelines.

‘Arturo had a trip without any contact from anyone else,’ Heynckes told a news conference. ‘He has a loose body in the knee joint. He needs a small procedure and will be out for the time being.’

‘He’s a fighter. I’m confident for his recovery.’

The news is a blow for Bayern, with Vidal set to miss the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen and almost certainly the Bundesliga trip to Hannover at the weekend.

He is also a major doubt for the first leg of their clash with Madrid, which takes place next Wednesday.

Bayern could also be without Corentin Tolisso for the trip to the BayArena on Tuesday, after the France international picked up a problem in the 5-1 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

‘Coco picked up another knock against Gladbach and has some bruising. It’s not yet clear if he’ll make tomorrow’s squad,’ added Heynckes.

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za