Mario Gotze’s Injury Update: Likely to Miss Champions League Final
Mario Gotze of Borussia Dortmund (Google Creative Commons)
Not even 20 minutes into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mario Gotze was carted off the pitch after suffering an apparent upper leg injury. According to ESPN FC, the 20-year-old suffered a “suspected thigh tear at the Bernabeu” and is unlikely to feature in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium later this month.
The left thigh tear could put the German international out of commission for up to three weeks, subsequently making it a race against time if he is to appear at Wembley on May 25th. However, the Gotze may not feel as pressured to recover in time for the final as he recently agreed to join Bayern Munich this summer for €37 million.
Imagine this - Gotze appears in the Champions League final, and scores against his future club, possibly even nets the winner. A storyline which would certainly add special intrigue as well as make for an awkward first impression with his new Bavarian teammates.
That thought though, now seems so far removed. It looks as if the youngster will not feature after all, and certainly will not appear this weekend against Bayern in their Bundesliga matchup. Yet, Jurgen Klopp remains uncertain if even rushing Gotze’s recovery is worth it as SB Nation indicates “It’s going to be a race against time for things to come.”
In replacement for Gotze, it is likely that Kevin Grosskreutz may feature in the midfield with Sven Bender and Marco Reus. As Borussia Dortmund prepare for their second-ever Champions League final later this month, the horizon looks a bit questionable. As Gotze seems to already have jumped ship for next term, and Lewandowski reportedly leaving the helm as well - is this BVB’s last chance for quite some time to claim European glory?
This season, facing Bayern Munich has been almost an insurmountable task. While Gotze in the starting XI would have certainly provided that ounce of additional hope that Dortmund can prevail over the Bundesliga champions, a Gotze-less squad would very much be up against it. Nonetheless, Reus, Gorsskreutz and Jakob Blaszczykowski are more than capable of handling a tough task on May 25th, and to play the role of spoilers as Chelsea FC did last season.
