Borussia Dortmund to be without Dan Axel Zagadou for at least another month

Borussia Dortmund centre back Dan Axel Zagadou is set to be unavailable for at least another month, reports say.

Dan Axel Zagadou suffered a knee injury during Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season training camp in August, and has been out of action ever since. The club confirmed last month that he does not require surgery and can be treated conservatively. But now Kicker report in their Monday edition that the towering defender will be out for at least another month.

Lucien Favre has used a back three of Emre Can, Mats Hummels and Manuel Akanji in the first five games of the season. But after Akanji tested positive for COVID-19 while on international duty with Switzerland, the 62 year old will likely be forced into making changes for the next couple of games.

Kicker add that the prospect of Akanji returning in time for Borussia Dortmund’s next game is not a realistic one at the moment. But it is still possible that he could be back in the squad for next week’s UEFA Champions League clash against SS Lazio.

That would leave Borussia Dortmund with just one available specialist centre back for Saturday’s Bundesliga game against TSG Hoffenheim. Lukasz Piszczek would be the likely candidate to replace Akanji in the starting XI. While the magazine also mentions Axel Witsel and Thomas Meunier as potential alternatives for central defence.

With Borussia Dortmund facing seven games in 21 days following the international break, head coach Lucien Favre will be hoping to have all his players fully fit and ready to cope with the fixture congestion.