Arjen Robben has been forced to delay his comeback from injury for a short time longer. FCB coach Louis van Gaal had originally held out hopes of selecting his fellow-countryman for last Saturday’s Bundesliga trip to Freiburg, but the winger suffered a reaction to an earlier knee injury, and has now been ruled out of Wednesday’s Champions League fixture away to Girondins Bordeaux.
Robben was unable to take part in the squad training session on Monday, reporting to sports rehab coach Thomas Wilhelmi for a 60-minute fitness workout instead. During the squad’s absence in Bordeaux, the Dutch international will remain at the Säbener Strasse and complete a tailored training programme, with the aim of resuming squad duty on Thursday.
Apart from Robben, Van Gaal is also without Franck Ribéry (swollen knee) in Bordeaux. The France superstar is currently out of action for an indefinite period. Edson Braafheid is also rated doubtful for the European clash. However, Martin Demichelis is set to feature in the 18-man matchday squad for the first time since an operation to correct an ankle problem some ten weeks ago.
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