Lay-offs for Lell and Altintop

Bayern will be short of cover on the right side of the field for a spell after both Christian Lell and Hamit Altintop succumbed to injury. The right-back will be out of action for two weeks, but the Turkey midfielder is unlikely to return to competitive action before the new year.

Lell started Saturday’s Bundesliga fixture in Hanover, but his afternoon’s work came to a swift end. The right-back hobbled from the field with just 14 minutes played after pulling up sharply following a sprint for the ball. The on-the-spot diagnosis of a strained hamstring was later confirmed on the squad’s return to Munich. The player would normally be fit to resume the team training programme in about 14 days.

Altintop sidelined until Christmas

In the case of Altintop, the player has been forced to undergo a second round of surgery on the fractured metatarsal in his right foot, and is unlikely to return to first-team contention until the new year. The midfielder faces “another, new period of rehab training, which will take many weeks,“ head coach Jürgen Klinsmann reported.

The Turkey international sustained the initial fracture some six months ago but recovered in time to star for his country at Euro 2008. However, the 25-year-old suffered a stress reaction to the injured foot in late August. “He underwent corrective surgery a couple of weeks ago,” Klinsmann explained.