Leroy Sane's injuries were on display as he made his first Bayern Munich appearance since his midweek run-in with team-mate Sadio Mane.
Mane allegedly struck his colleague as the German club dealt with the fall-out from their Champions League loss at Manchester City. The former Liverpool forward was suspended by his club after the incident, sitting out Saturday's Bundesliga game against Hoffenheim.
Sane showed off a busted lip as he started for Thomas Tuchel's side against their struggling visitors. However, things did not go according to plan for the league leaders, who were grateful to Stuttgart for denying their title rivals Borussia Dortmund a crucial win.
Sane's swollen lip was plain to see as the German international warmed up ahead of the Hoffenheim game. That wasn't enough to stop him playing nearly an hour, though, before eventually making way for Mathys Tel.
Bayern led at that point through a first half goal from Benjamin Pavard, only for Andrej Kramaric to bring Hoffenheim level. Pavard had a second goal chalked off following a VAR check, and it ended 1-1.
Tuchel's team went into the game two points clear of title challengers Borussia Dortmund, who travelled to Stuttgart and held a man advantage for more than half the game. A stoppage-time goal from Gio Reyna looked to have given them a dramatic victory, only for Silas to equalise in the seventh minute of time added on.
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"Sadio Mane, 31, will not be included in the FC Bayern squad for this Saturday's home match against 1899 Hoffenheim," a Bayern statement read ahead of the weekend clash. "This is due to his misconduct after Bayern's Champions League match at Manchester City. Mané will also be given a fine."
According to reports from Germany, Sane was keen to ensure his team-mate wasn't punished too harshly by Bayern's higher-ups. Mane, meanwhile, has been grieving the death of his aunt in Senegal.
It is unclear how much of a part Mane will play in Bayern's next game, the second leg of their European clash with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. The English side claimed a 3-0 first leg win, thanks to goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.
"There’s no more important game than the next one, even at Bayern," Tuchel had told the media before the Hoffenheim match. "I expect from myself and all of the backroom staff that we’ll prepare the team to be 100 percent top.
"We also expect that from the team. It’s the foundation for getting a result. We need a good result in the title race.”
Unfortunately for Tuchel, his players didn't get the result he craved, and needed a favour from elsewhere. Bayern will travel to Mainz after their midweek game at home to Man City, while a late-season meeting with RB Leipzig on 20 May looms large as the Bavarian side look to retain their domestic title.
