Borussia Mönchengladbach can reportedly look forward to Tim Kleindienst’s return in the near future. Although the 31-year-old captain is still unavailable through injury for the upcoming away game at Hamburger SV, coach Alexander Blessin suggested he could be back soon: the striker could return to the squad after the upcoming international break—possibly as an option off the bench against Borussia Dortmund on November 21. Kleindienst has endured a lengthy injury ordeal.
After a year on the sidelines with cartilage damage, he had battled his way back at the start of the season, only to suffer another setback after the opening matches with his second muscle tear of the campaign. His latest layoff also appears to have cost him a chance with the national team, with Germany coach Jürgen Klopp calling up Niclas Füllkrug instead.
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Shuto Machino is currently filling in for Kleindienst up front, while the fit-again Isac Lidberg is also available to start. In defence, however, Blessin faces another setback against HSV: Daiki Hashioka is expected to miss out with muscle problems. On the plus side, Ko Itakura, who has regained full fitness, and Kevin Diks, returning after time away for family reasons, are back in the squad.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
