Good news for James, not Vidal

What makes Chile cry, makes Colombia smile. Jupp Heynckes has been forced to shuffles his deck because of Arturo Vidal's injury, but it could be a positive change. 

There are various statistics that can be looked at to support this theory. This season, Vidal has missed 13 games. However, of these, Bayern have only lost one, no more. Furthermore, this single loss was earlier in the season, before they got their act together. 

The rest comprise of ten victories and two draws, one of which was against Sevilla in the Champions League semi-final and cannot be counted amongst the others. Bayern still progressed to the next round. 

However, without James in the side, the damage has been worse. Heynckes side have lost three times, and they were heavy losses including a 3-0 reverse against PSG. 

In addition, in the two most difficult league matches of the season - losses against Monchengladbach and Leipzig - James' absence was noticeable for all. And there is one more stat that really closes the book on this case, they have always won when James has completed the game. 

With the league in the bag and passage through to the cup final confirmed, the Champions League remains the only challenge left on the horizon for the Bavarian side. In the first leg of the semi-final, when Vidal went down injured with Sevilla lead, James came on and turned the game around. Bayern won 2-1. 

It's something that cannot be ignored by Heynckes, especially as they will be up against Real Madrid, the Colombian's former side who he would dearly like to get his own back on.