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After midnight the all-clear came a little.
Mats Hummels was walking through the darkness of Dortmund, he had just come out of the hospital.
“It looks like it's not that bad that everything will be fine in a few days.
It looks like I could be back on the pitch very, very soon, ”he said.
Whether Hummels can be used again in the game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (3:30 pm, in the sports ticker of WELT), should be decided "at short notice" according to the club's announcement on Thursday.
The BVB defense chief was replaced in the 1: 1 (1: 0) in the Champions League game against Lazio Rome with a contorted face.
In stoppage time, the 31-year-old limped off the pitch with a bandaged foot after an unintentional kick by the former Dortmund player Ciro Immobile.
In terms of sport, Borussia's draw was enough to make it to the round of 16.
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With a win after the opening goal by Raphaël Guerreiro (44th), the Borussia would have secured the group victory early.
But in the 65th minute, the Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz gave a dubious penalty, which the former Dortmund Ciro Immobile converted.
The decision angered BVB coach Lucien Favre beyond measure.
Haaland's failure was "very unexpected" for Favre
But when the 63-year-old woke up Thursday morning, he was likely to have been annoyed about something else, much more serious: Erling Haaland, Dortmund's Torgarant, is out.
Ironically, in a phase when his team's strength is dwindling, Favre has to do without his top striker.
"It was very unexpected," said the coach, who only found out about Haaland's injury on matchday.
"He already felt something during the final training session on Tuesday," he explained to Schweizer.
However, it was not until Wednesday afternoon, when the players completed another short sweat training session, that an injury was to be complained about.
A subsequent examination brought certainty.
Haaland has torn a muscle fiber.
"He'll be out until early January," said Favre.
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The 20-year-old will be missing six games for BVB.
In the Bundesliga against Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Bremen and Union Berlin, in the Champions League against Zenit St. Petersburg and in the DFB-Pokal on December 22nd at Eintracht Braunschweig.
Haaland expressed confidence the day after.
"Good news.
Talked to my doctors.
Soon back, ”tweeted the Norwegian, fueling hopes that the long mandatory break announced by Favre could end before Christmas.
Still, it's a pretty big mortgage, because the Dortmund team had increasingly geared their game to Haaland.
He has scored ten goals in eight games in the current Bundesliga season, six goals in four Champions League matches.
The Norwegian was not only an enforcer, but also a kind of symbol - for the determination that characterized Dortmund in most of the games in recent weeks.
Haaland led the way, Haaland carried away.
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"Of course it hurts a lot, because Erling has been responsible for the goals and the will to win in the last few weeks," said Michael Zorc.
The sporting director admitted that Haaland's absence could have problematic effects.
“He's a very important player and set the tone on the offensive.
But up to twelve months ago we played without him and of course we have to make it more flexible now to compensate for his goal risk, ”he explained.
King and potential crown prince: At BVB, Haaland has so far been the main cause of the spectacle.
Youssoufa Moukoko has awakened hope that he could achieve something similar
Source: pa / augenklick / Se / firo / Sebastian El-Saqqa
There was a foretaste of that against Lazio.
On paper, Favre had two strikers - but they were two midfielders: Marco Reus and Thorgan Hazard.
The effects were evident.
There were many combinations, but few runs in depth and even fewer finishes.
The duo wasn't really a challenge for the Roman defense.
"We have several players who can play up front," said Frave, referring to the games that still have to be played before Christmas: "Hazard, Reus - Julian Brandt can also play a kinky nine." That sounds like very strong solutions, but not necessarily according to the level of penetration the team needs.
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However, Favre only mentioned the obvious solution to the problem in passing.
"We'll see at Youssoufa," he said.
What is meant is Youssoufa Moukoko, the 16-year-old exceptional talent who only made his Bundesliga debut as a substitute a week and a half ago.
He is just as strong as the other established candidates listed by Favre - but Moukoko is faster and more dangerous.
If it were all about athletic qualification, it would be the best solution.
Favre had not planned a starting XI for the wonder boy so quickly.
Favre doesn't like the hype that has already arisen around Moukoko - he even considers it dangerous.
“Nobody saw him properly, but everyone says he'll be world class,” the coach recently said.
You have to be careful not to burn Moukoko.
It will not be an easy day for the BVB coach, who will have to make a decision by Saturday, when the Dortmund team will compete at Eintracht Frankfurt.
He will certainly not make it easy for himself - and this is what distinguishes Favre.
Erling Haaland will break my record!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is Norway's record scorer in the Champions League.
However, the Manchester United coach believes he will soon be replaced by Erling Haaland.
Source: Stats Perform News