BERLIN (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen top-scorer Patrik Schick has been ruled out for several weeks after tearing a muscle in his left calf.
Leverkusen said Sunday that an MRI scan confirmed the damage sustained during the team’s 3-2 loss at Mainz in the Bundesliga on Friday.
Schick had opened the scoring in that game with his 20th league goal of the season before getting injured early in the second half.
The Czech forward has scored a third of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga goals this season and his absence could complicate the team’s Champions League qualification hopes.
Also Sunday, Stuttgart said forward Silas Katompa Mvumpa is out for the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bochum.
Stuttgart, which is second from bottom after failing to win in eight games, said Silas’ injury requires surgery to repair torn ligaments in the shoulder. It will take the player three to four months to recover.
Silas already missed the start of the season with a cruciate ligament injury. He made his first appearance of the season at the end of November in a 2-1 win over Mainz.
“Silas was getting back to his best after his cruciate ligament tear, so this new injury is a bitter blow,” Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat said. “We’ll support Silas on the road to recovery."
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Ciarán Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP
