Schmelzer adds to Dortmund´s injury woes

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that captain Marcel Schmelzer has been added to their lengthy injury list and could be out for two weeks with a torn abductor.

The versatile defender was forced off 71 minutes into Friday’s 1-1 draw at home to Hertha Berlin after his groin began to play up and Dortmund revealed that he tore a muscle.

Dortmund expect Schmelzer to be out for about a fortnight and will therefore miss Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Sporting CP, as well as games against Ingolstadt and Union Berlin, in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, respectively.

The news comes as another blow to coach Thomas Tuchel, who already has to contend without 10 first-team players.

Schmelzer joins Neven Subotic (rib), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (leg), Andre Schurrle (back), Lukasz Piszczek (knee), Raphael Guerreiro (thigh), Erik Durm (knee), Sven Bender (ankle), Adrian Ramos, Marco Reus and Gonzalo Castro (all groin) on the sidelines.

Dortmund have set their club’s derby clash with Schalke on October 29 as a target for his return.