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Dortmund's decimated defense

Mark HallamNovember 20, 2013

Borussia Dortmund have lost another two key players to injury, days before their biggest game of the season so far. Jürgen Klopp's side must now face Bayern Munich without a single first-choice defender.

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Dortmunds Mats Hummels fasst sich ins Gesicht, aufgenommen am Samstag (14.04.2012) in der Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen im Rahmen des Bundesligaspiels FC Schalke 04 gegen Borussia Dortmund. Foto: Thomas Eisenhuth dpa
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Borussia Dortmund announced on Wednesday that Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer both picked up injuries in Germany's 1-0 win against England on Tuesday evening.

Dortmund's Dr. Markus Braun predicted that center-back Hummels would be out until mid-January with an injury to his right heel, while left-back Schmelzer would miss about three weeks with a calf strain.

Coach Jürgen Klopp is therefore likely to head into Saturday's game against Bayern Munich, and then a key Champions League encounter with Napoli, without a single first-choice defender. Hummels' traditional partner in the center, Neven Subotic, is out for the season after tearing knee ligaments in defeat against Wolfsburg earlier this month.

Right-back Lukasz Piszczek is close to full fitness after undergoing a major operation in May. Dortmund recently said that he was set for a first-team return only in January, but he did take to the field for 53 minutes in a friendly against Paderborn on Tuesday evening.

Yet in that same friendly, veteran defender Manuel Friedrich, who Dortmund picked up on a free transfer in injury-fueled desperation recently, picked up a knock. Even he may not be available to deputize on Saturday evening. Some fans and media commentators had already complained of unfair treatment when it became apparent that national coach Löw would use more of his Dortmund players than his Bayern contingent in the match against England.

Summer signing Sokratis, midfielders Kevin Grosskreutz and Sven Bender, and youngster Erik Durm are now likely candidates to constitute the most makeshift of back lines against Bayern's star-studded attack.