Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Götze has been ruled out of this weekend’s Champions League final against his future club Bayern Munich.
Götze injured his hamstring in the second leg of Dortmund’s semi-final against Real Madrid and has been striving to be fit for Saturday’s final at Wembley. But the 20-year-old, who caused consternation at Dortmund after agreeing a €37 million move to their rivals Bayern, had to curtail a training session after experiencing a reoccurrence to the injury.
“Mario has felt something again in his hamstring,” Dortmund general manager Michael Zorc told Bild. “That is why he stopped. We don’t know how bad it is and whether he is still suffering from it.”
Götze told Dortmund’s website: “The final was my big goal and in the past weeks I have battled hard for it. I am unbelievably sorry that I will not be able to help the team in this important match. I have huge belief in our team and will naturally travel with them to London to endeavour to support the lads off the pitch.”
Götze, who scored 19 goals for Dortmund this season, is not the only injury concern for Dortmund, with the defender Mats Hummels, a 2008 signing from Bayern, carrying an ankle injury.
Hummels, however, told Bild magazine he was confident of making the final.
“Nothing is torn so it is not as bad as first feared,” Hummels said. “I’m confident I’ll be ready for the final.”
Götze’s absence is a huge blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side’s mission to upset the odds against the Bundesliga champions in London.
The Germany international was, along with Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, part of perhaps the most feared attacking triumvirate in European football currently and integral to Dortmund’s attacking style.
Kevin Grosskreutz was the man who replaced Götze at the Bernabéu and would appear to be the most likely candidate to stand in for him at Wembley.
Guardian Service
