Bayern's selection problems continued to mount at the weekend after Miroslav Klose joined Luca Toni, Franck Ribéry, Hamit Altintop and Tim Borowski on the injury roster. Germany international Klose partially ruptured a tendon in his right ankle early in Saturday's 3-0 win in Bochum, an injury which will have to be repaired surgically. The length of the striker's enforced spell on the sidelines cannot yet be determined.
"It's a bad diagnosis and a real setback for us," commented Jürgen Klinsmann, "we're wishing Miro all the best, we hope it all goes well, and that he's back on his feet again very soon." Klose turned the ankle on a divot in the bumpy Bochum pitch, hobbling off the field shortly afterwards. "I felt something go," he reported immediately afterwards, a suspicion confirmed by an MRI scan on Sunday.
Toni on track to return
Klose, currently the leading scorer at the club with 20 goals this season, is definitely out of Bayern's home Bundesliga meeting with Karlsruhe next Saturday. He will also miss Germany's 2010 World Cup qualifiers at home to Liechtenstein (28 March) and away to Wales (1 April).
The injury misery leaves Lukas Podolski as Bayern's only fit senior striker. "It's a very awkward situation," observed Klinsmann, "my hope is that Luca Toni will be ready in time for the next match. We have a good feeling in this respect." The Italian has been laid low with an Achilles problem for the last three weeks, but is set to resume the team training programme on Tuesday. "That's enough time for him to get back up to speed for Saturday," Klinsmann remarked.
Comeback hopes for Ribéry and Borowski
The FCB head coach is confident Ribéry will soon return from a two-week lay-off caused by a bruised shin. Borowski (hamstring) is also making good progress, continuing his recovery on Sunday in an outdoor training session supervised by assistant coach Nick Theslof.
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