Which games is Konstantinos Karetsas confirmed to miss?
Borussia Dortmund just can't get a break from injuries. Last weekend, they were dealt with a fresh concern when Konstantinos Karetsas went off with an ankle injury during their 0-0 draw with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
Having been subbed into the clash after 62 minutes, Karetsas twisted his ankle eight minutes later while attempting to evade his marker Rani Khedira near the byline. He immediately went to the floor grimacing, with skipper Niko Schlotterbeck signaling to the bench for a change.
The medics rushed to the field and a few minutes later, were seen guiding him off with the 18-year-old clearly unable to walk. The scene sparked widespread injury concerns among the Dortmund supporters, who have already been besieged with a few high-profile casualties, less than two months into the new season.
Which games would Karetsas miss?
Borussia Dortmund announced their matchday squad to face Sabah FK in the Champions League today and Konstantinos Karetsas expectedly, wasn't named. The Greek teen is now set to miss the clash in Baku, Azerbaijan tonight after having started their last game in the competition against Bodo/Glimt last week.
His absence is set to force head coach Niko Kovac into making a few changes to the lineup, with Fabio Silva or Maximilian Beier taking his place as the right-sided attacking midfielder off the lone striker, Serhou Guirassy.
Signed on a 30 million euro transfer from KRC Gent, Karetsas is also confirmed to miss their Bundesliga clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, which Dortmund host at the Signal Iduna Park, their first home match in four games and a first post the international break.
A tough opening spell for Karetsas
Karetsas showed plenty of promise early on after arriving, even scoring a fabulous goal against Arsenal on his debut in their friendly game at the Emirates Stadium. He also bagged an assist in his first Bundesliga appearance against Hamburg on matchday one as the Greek teen was adapting to life with the German side rather quickly.
However, things started to go downhill when he collapsed to the floor during their Champions League clash against Villarreal last month. He missed their subsequent game against Paderborn, but hasn't looked the same thereafter. In four appearances since, the 18-year-old hasn't pulled off any trees, struggling to bring his A-1 game to the fore.
Now with another fitness concern to contend with, his debut campaign with Dortmund goes from bad to worse.
