Borussia Dortmund will be without defender Niklas Suele for several months after he picked up an ankle injury in the league on Saturday, coach Nuri Sahin said on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League game against Barcelona.
Suele had only come back from an ankle injury on 30 November in the league game against Bayern Munich but had to be taken off injured late in their 1-1 draw against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday with the same injury.
Nuri Sahin:
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"Niklas Süle will be out for several months. Unfortunately, he has a serious injury. We'll decide tomorrow whether Maxi Beier will be able to play. Karim is in build-up training. Brandt will still be out, unfortunately we had a small setback there."#BVB pic.twitter.com/nBprFjNRhd
"Not so good news, unfortunately," Sahin told a press conference ahead of Wednesday's clash with Barca. "He will be out for several months. He has suffered a serious injury.
"It is the same injury," Sahin said. "It is completely unfortunate to injure the same spot. It is very bitter because we needed him."
Dortmund, in sixth spot in the Bundesliga, have been plagued by injuries for months and at one stage were without 10 players.
"He (Suele) had played a good game in Gladbach. It is a bit of a bad luck run for him but you cannot change that. We have to let the diagnosis sink in. We will play the game tomorrow and then we will see how we proceed with him," Sahin added.
Barcelona are third in the Champions League standings on 12 points, ahead on goal difference of fourth-placed Dortmund, last year's finalists, with both teams on course for a top-eight finish in the league phase of the new format.
That would earn them an automatic last-16 spot.
"Favourites against Barcelona?" Sahin said. "I don't think there are any favourites tomorrow. It will be two teams on the same level and the form on the day will play a big role."