Borussia Dortmund have announced that defender Nico Schlotterbeck has suffered a ligament injury which he sustained right at the end of their game on Wednesday night.
Dortmund were chasing a goal as they trailed Barcelona 3-2 and after winning a free kick in the dying minutes, Schlotterbeck went up for a header, made contact with the ball but landed awkwardly and after the full-time whistle needed a stretcher to help him off of the pitch.
The extent of the 25-year-old’s injury is still unknown, but it is said that it is questionable if he will play again for Dortmund this year. Sky Germany reports that Dortmund hope Schlotterbeck can feature in their final two games of the year, but he should be fit by January.
The injury to Schlotterbeck now means that Dortmund currently do not have any fit centre-backs available as Niklas Süle will miss the next few months with an injury in his ankle while Waldemar Anton has been absent with a torn muscle as well. This means against Hoffenheim on Sunday, Nuri Sahin may have to field Emre Can next to either Pascal Groß, Felix Nmecha or even Ramy Bensebaini.
Schlotterbeck was developing into the leader of Dortmund’s defence in recent weeks as he was not only handed the captain’s armband but also put in performances to back it up.
Now, after Dortmund looked like they were finally building consistency, have been thrown into disarray once again.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
