Borussia Dortmund set to be without Manuel Akanji for Eintracht Frankfurt clash
By Tushar Bahl
Manuel Akanji is expected to miss Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga clash against Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend, as he has still not fully recovered from his knee surgery.
The Borussia Dortmund players returned to training on Monday to start preparations for the second half of the season. The club announced that the players trained in small groups. Marco Rose’s side are set to take on Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend in what should be a hard fought Bundesliga contest.
Dan-Axel Zagadou has already been ruled out of the game after testing positive for Covid-19 while on vacation in Dubai. And Ruhr Nachrichten report that Borussia Dortmund will probably also have to make do without Manuel Akanji. The Swiss centre-back has been ever-present in the heart of the Borussia Dortmund defence this season, but had to undergo a minor knee surgery last month.
The Black and Yellows gave hope after his surgery that he would be fit in time for the start of the rückrunde. While Akanji will now likely miss the game against Eintracht Frankfurt, Ruhr Nachrichten add that he should still be able to make his return to training this month.
With Zagadou and Akanji set to miss the game on Saturday, Mats Hummels and Marin Pongracic will probably start as the two centre-backs for Borussia Dortmund. Emre Can and Axel Witsel are the other potential alternatives available to Marco Rose.
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Borussia Dortmund will also be hoping to welcome Gio Reyna and Youssoufa Moukoko back into the squad following their recent spells on the sidelines.