Nico Schlotterbeck to miss Borussia Dortmund’s next Bundesliga and Champions League fixture | OneFootball

Sport 1 is currently reporting that Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck will remain out for his team’s next league and Champions League fixture. The German national team defender – who has been donning the BVB captain’s armband as his team’s talisman – is set to miss two crucial games: Saturday’s Bundesliga showdown with RB Leipzig and next Wednesday’s Champions League return leg away at Atalanta Bergamo. 

The centre-back continues to struggle with a muscle injury

Can Dortmund cope without Nico Schlotterbeck?

Dortmund have actually not conceded a goal in the last two matches Schlotterbeck missed. An accumulated yellow card suspension kept the 26-year-old out of las Friday night’s Bundesliga victory over Mainz. Dortmund – thanks in part due to an exceptionally cool performance from Italian centre-back Luca Reggiani – were also able to shut out Atalanta at home on Tuesday. 

It remains important to note that both BVB victories came at home. Dortmund must travel to the Red Bull Arena to face RB Leipzig in this weekend’s forthcoming Bundesliga Saturday evening “Top Spiel”. It shall also prove no easy task, even up 2-0 on aggregate, to head to the Stadio de Bergamo next Wednesday evening. 

The current state of the Bundesliga table – with Bayern Munich six points ahead of Dortmund through 22 matchdays – leads some to conclude that the Bundesliga title race might be back on. Dortmund only need to slip up once, however, and practically no one will think Dortmund capable of closing a nine-point-gap. 

Dortmund likely to rest Schlotterbeck ahead of Bayern

Schlotterbeck himself has expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for the Bundesliga match against Bayern to take place at the end of the month. Bayern must head to the Westfalen Stadion and fend off their title challengers in front of the famed “yellow wall” and 81,365 spectators. One assumes that Dortmund will not take any chances with their defensive captain, keeping him fresh and fit for that crucial encounter. 

GGFN | Peter Weis