Borussia Dortmund ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Erling Haaland will be able to play again this year

Borussia Dortmund remain cautiously optimistic that Erling Haaland will be able to make his return this year, Marco Rose has said.

Erling Haaland suffered a hip flexor injury last month and has been sidelined ever since. Borussia Dortmund haven’t yet given a real timeframe for his return, but Alf-Inge Haaland said earlier this month that it would be a miracle if the striker played again before Christmas. Now Marco Rose has said that they are cautiously optimistic of having Haaland back on the pitch this year.

"“We are cautiously optimistic that Erling will be on the pitch again this year,” Rose said during his pre-match press conference on Friday."

Haaland is one of Borussia Dortmund’s most important players, and his absence has heavily impacted the team’s attacking play in recent games. So the Black and Yellows will hope to have him back in training as soon as possible. But they will also be keen to ensure that they do not rush him back into action, like they did when he made his return from a muscle injury earlier this season.

Haaland, who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or award last month, has scored 13 goals in just 10 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund so far this season.

Borussia Dortmund still have eight more games to play before the winter break, with the last of those games coming against Hertha Berlin on December 18.

Borussia Dortmund’s injury situation is starting to ease up a bit, with Raphael Guerreiro and Emre Can both set to return this weekend. The Stuttgart game comes too soon for Mahmoud Dahoud, but he is back in team training and will return to action before long. Gio Reyna, Nico Schulz and Marius Wolf remain out for now.