Bender out with ankle injury

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender will be missing for the next two weeks of action, the club’s official website has confirmed.

The Germany international was on the wrong end of a heavy challenge from Daniel Didavi during his side’s 2-0 win over Nuremberg on Friday evening, and was replaced by Moritz Leitner after 23 minutes of the victory.

It has now emerged that the 22-year-old suffered an injury to the lateral ligament in his left ankle, which will keep him out for a fortnight.

It is believed that the earliest that Jurgen Klopp could have Bender back at his disposal is for Dortmund’s away trip to Hertha Berlin on February 18.

However, the knock may require an extra week of recovery, meaning his comeback would be against Hannover.

The former 1860 Munich man will miss upcoming fixtures including the DFB Pokal match against Holstein Kiel and Saturday’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Bender also missed the final weeks before the Christmas break, after fracturing his jaw against Arsenal in the Champions League.