Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy sustained a knock during their Champions League clash against Real Betis on Wednesday and is now doubtful for their Bundesliga meeting with SV Elversberg on Saturday.
The Guinean forward went off in the 34th minute after struggling with discomfort for a while until then, as Niko Kovac put him out of his misery and subbed in Konstantinos Karetsas, who eventually scored the winning goal on the night.
While attempting to connect with a cross from Julian Ryerson in the third minute, Guirassy slid past the ball and collided awkwardly with the post. He picked himself up gingerly and continued but went down again in the 31st minute.
The BVB forward was given medical treatment on the sidelines before he returned to the field but the discomfort persisted and Kovac finally decided to take him off. Now, the manager has offered insights into his condition.
Guirassy could miss Elversberg clash
In a massive relief for the BVB faithful, Kovac has ruled out any serious injury concern for Guirassy, as he told the press:
"Serhou Guirassy felt some discomfort in his thigh. We’ll see if it’s more than a strain, which I don’t think it is."
However, he isn't returning immediately either, as the 30-year-old is likely to miss their weekend clash against promoted side Elversberg on Saturday at the Signal Iduna Park.
"We hope he’ll be back for the first game after the international break. Karetsas added attacking energy and worked well up top with Fabio Silva."
Tomorrow, Dortmund play their last game before the new international window and return to action two weeks later, away to Borussia Monchengladbach on 21 November.
That could be the day Guirassy returns for the Black and Yellow. In the meantime, he could also miss Africa Cup of Nations qualifier fixtures against Eritrea with Guinea on 12 and 16 November.
With eight goals and two assists in 14 games, Guirassy has been instrumental for Dortmund upfront, including netting both their goals in the 2-1 win over Sabah FK and the equalizer against Bayern Munich in the Der Klassiker last weekend.
However, consistency has been lacking. The striker experienced a patchy run last month and even went five consecutive appearances in the Bundesliga without a goal in what was one of his worst dry spells for the club.
Yet, he's still their leading scorer and remains valuable to Borussia Dortmund's fortunes.
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