Tuchel concerned by Dortmund injuries

Tuesday's trip to Lisbon will see Dortmund without captain Marcel Schmelzer (abductor), Neven Subotic (rib), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (leg), Andre Schurrle (back), Lukasz Piszczek (knee), Raphael Guerreiro (thigh), Erik Durm (knee), Sven Bender (ankle), Adrian Ramos, Marco Reus and Gonzalo Castro (all groin).

Published : Oct 18, 2016 15:19 IST

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has to make do without the piling list of injured players.
Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has to make do without the piling list of injured players.
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Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has to make do without the piling list of injured players.

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is concerned by the amount of injuries his side has suffered heading into its Champions League clash against Sporting CP.

Tuesday's trip to Lisbon will see Dortmund without captain Marcel Schmelzer (abductor), Neven Subotic (rib), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (leg), Andre Schurrle (back), Lukasz Piszczek (knee), Raphael Guerreiro (thigh), Erik Durm (knee), Sven Bender (ankle), Adrian Ramos, Marco Reus and Gonzalo Castro (all groin).

And Dortmund's injury crisis has Tuchel stunned.

"We are not rubbing our eyes [in surprise], we are very concerned with the situation and the frequency and the number of injuries which we have had recently," Tuchel said.

"Despite that there isn't any one reason for them, each injury has to be seen separately, each one is individual and has its own background but still however in this frequency and in this number, it is very unusual, we have never experienced this."

Dortmund tops Group F with four points, one clear of Sporting heading into matchday three.

Tuchel's Dortmund played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Real Madrid last time out, while Sporting accounted for Legia Warsaw 2-0.

"Sporting are a very complete team," Tuchel said. "They are strong technically, robust defensively and with Bas Dost up front, dangerous in attack. They have a very experienced coach and team, and players who are good on the ball like Gelson Martins.

"I saw Sporting play against Real Madrid [who won 2-1], when they were unlucky and lost so late. They have our complete respect. The situation with our injuries is what it is and each individual injury has its own story, but I have strong players at my disposal and I am confident in the team I will put out tomorrow."

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