Borussia Dortmund manager Juergen Klopp has revealed Mario Goetze is unlikely to play in the UEFA Champions League Final with Bayern Munich.
Goetze picked up a hamstring injury in the second leg of Dortmund’s semi-final with Real Madrid on Tuesday, and Klopp conceded that the attacking midfielder is a major doubt to take part in the Wembley final on 25th may.
Speaking in a press conference, Klopp said: “The game has left its mark. Mario Goetze has suffered a rupture of a muscle fibre. It will be a tight race for him until the final to be frank. That is not good news. It is rather average news, though we’ve got some experience in coping with average news.”
Dortmund host Bayern in the Bundesliga on Saturday in a game that will have little meaning with the visitors already having clinched the title, and Klopp admitted he is unsure of how to approach the game.
“It is going to be a different game for both teams. I don’t know whether Bayern want to use the game to demonstrate their superiority or scare us ahead of the final. Anyway this is not going to happen because we have got three weeks to recover from whatever,” he added.
Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes had earlier stated that Dortmund do not know how to be successful in both domestic and European competition, a suggestion which Klopp was quick to laugh off.
“Last night Jupp Heynckes said we were not capable of performing in three competitions at the same time yet. He’s genuinely right there. But – and that’s the good thing about it – we don’t have to! (Laughter) Were focusing on one. We’re good in that one. And in the future we are going to do our best to get the other ones right, too.”
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