Gotze to miss Madrid test

Mario Gotze has been ruled out of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League trip to holders Real Madrid with a knee injury.

The attacking midfielder, who was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 4-1 Bundesliga win over Borussia Monchengladbach, has not travelled with his team-mates to the Spanish capital.

Gotze, whose only goal this season came in the 6-0 Group F win over Legia Warsaw in September, has struggled to recapture his best form since returning to Signal Iduna Park.

The winner he assisted in the 1-0 victory against former club Bayern Munich last month is the only one he has been involved in across eight Bundesliga appearances in 2016-17.

Dortmund lead their Champions League group by two points and won their last outing 8-4 against Legia – a record high-scoring match in the competition.

BVB without @MarioGoetze in Madrid #rmbvb #UCL https://t.co/ieLMqNYJeX pic.twitter.com/tJtvnyKMnH

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) December 6, 2016