An Update on BVB’s International Break-Induced Injury List

With FIFA squeezing three international matches into a two-week period, it was very predictable that muscle and other stress injuries would run rampant. It seems that almost every club in Europe is having to deal with an injury crisis, and Borussia Dortmund are no exception.

Gio Reyna came down with a hamstring strain prior to the United States’ match against Canada on Sunday, and now, according to Manager Marco Rose, is going to miss “a few” games:

According to Ruhr Nachrichten, the hope is that Reyna will be able to play some time after the next international break, meaning he’s going to miss about a month at minimum. As the tweet above references, Emre Can is also going to need a few days to recover from a torn muscle fiber. This means that he’ll at least miss Saturday’s match against Leverkusen, and could also miss next BVB’s match against Besiktas next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, two of BVB’s Belgian nationals are injured as well. Thomas Meunier and Thorgan Hazard both look unlikely to play on Saturday as well. In Meunier’s case, he apparently suffered a minor knock on duty with Belgium, whereas Hazard has been struggling with an ankle injury for a while. With both Meunier and Can out, it will most likely be Felix Passlack at right back. This is because Marin Pongracic, the ~fifth backup at right back, injured his back and could miss the match on Saturday. Meanwhile, at left back, Nico Schulz is questionable and will probably be a game day decision on Saturday.

So, to recap, the following players are expected to miss Saturday’s match against Leverkusen:

• Thomas Meunier
• Thorgan Hazard
• Gio Reyna
• Emre Can

And remember, this doesn’t even include players like Dan-Axel Zagadou and Mateu Morey who are dealing with long-term injuries.

Finally, if there’s one shred of good news coming out of Marco Rose’s press conference, it was that Marco Reus looks to be good to go for Saturday’s match. He had to return early from international duty with the German National Team, but seems to have recovered and should be healthy.

Despite these injuries, BVB still has a strong squad. Hopefully, the players that are healthy can pick up for their teammates and deliver what would be three huge points in the title chase.