"On the gums"

Sahin gives injury update on Marcel Sabitzer

(Bild: Vereins TV / SID / AFP / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Borussia Dortmund celebrated an important 2:1 win against RB Leipzig - but Marcel Sabitzer had to be substituted due to injury. Coach Nuri Sahin gave a brief update at the post-match press conference.

Borussia Dortmund have cemented their status as a home power ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match (21:00) against Austrian soccer champions Sturm Graz. The Black & Yellows also won their sixth competitive match of the season in their own stadium with a 2:1 victory over RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga clash on Saturday. However, coach Nuri Sahin's personnel worries increased once again. ÖFB team player Marcel Sabitzer suffered a calf injury.

(Bild: Vereins TV / SID / AFP / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Sabitzer was substituted in the 67th minute against his former club Leipzig. It was unclear on Sunday whether the 30-year-old, who grew up in Graz and played in the youth team of city rivals GAK for a long time, had any chance of playing against Sturm. "He couldn't do anything, the muscle completely closed up," said Sahin about his calf problems. Sabitzer's lower leg was thickly bandaged at the end of the game. The midfielder had already been plagued by back problems during the week.

Sahin already had to withdraw almost an entire team for the Leipzig game - including such prominent names as regular goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (hip problem) and striker Karim Adeyemi (torn muscle fiber), who will not be an issue against Sturm either. "I wouldn't be surprised if a few more were to join us now," said Sahin, commenting on his long list of absentees. Sabitzer is not the only player to have suffered an injury. Ramy Bensebaini and Jamie Gittens are also injured.

"We're running on fumes"
 "We're running on fumes. We have to get through the international break somehow with this injury plight," said the BVB coach, who can at least speculate on the return of defenders Waldemar Anton and Julian Ryerson against Sturm. "We hope that we can get as many people together as possible for Tuesday."

Dortmund, who have seen Sahin and leading players such as captain Emre Can come in for heavy public criticism in recent weeks, have at least regained some of their confidence. After all, they managed a win against Leipzig against a team that had not lost in 19 consecutive league games before that. BVB had lost four of their previous five competitive matches - albeit all away from home.

Borussia showed a completely different face in their own stadium. "We're brutally good at home this season," said German team defender Nico Schlotterbeck. Despite the absences, they played the way Borussia Dortmund want to play against Leipzig: actively forwards. "That was our best game of the season over 90 minutes," praised Sahin. "The win was very, very important for the path we're on."

This also applies to his own standing in the club's environment, which had suffered further during the week due to the cup exit against Wolfsburg (0:1 n.V.). "I understand the criticism, except for that which goes below the belt," emphasized the 36-year-old former footballer, who succeeded Edin Terzic in the summer. "I accept everything that has to do with soccer. When I signed the contract here, I knew that I would be in the spotlight." Also against Sturm.