Two important players will soon be available again for coach Adi Hütter Whether it will be enough for the home match against Greuther Fürth remains to be seen.
When a player can complete team training again, the decisive step towards a comeback has been taken. Stefan Lainer, after being “partially integrated” last week, has been fully involved again since Tuesday and does not seem as if the ankle fracture he suffered three months ago is still hindering him in any way. The signs point to a comeback for the Austrian – the only question is whether Lainer will have enough time for the home match against Greuther Fürth on Saturday.
The very long break could lead coach Adi Hütter to consider not rushing into anything for the time being and to leave the right-back out of the matchday squad for another week. On the other hand, Borussia are very thin in defence at the moment. Any help is welcome, even if the problems caused by the absences of Nico Elvedi, Jordan Beyer and Tony Jantschke are mainly in the centre of defence.
For similar reasons, there is also a question mark over Christoph Kramer, who has been out since mid-October due to a muscle injury in his thigh. The midfielder is apparently not yet able to put in a full workload, which reduces his chances of returning to the squad against Fürth. In any case, Borussia will not be taking any risks with Kramer.
Jantschke: “I don’t have any more pain in my face “
Definitely not an issue for Saturday is Jantschke. After all, the defender is already back on the pitch after his serious facial injury (several fractures were treated surgically) rehab programme. “Everything is good so far. I don’t have any more pain in my face, only my eye is still a bit red from the surgery. The plates that were put in me are not causing any problems. Now things are looking up,” Jantschke reported on Wednesday. He can do “almost everything on the pitch again apart from tackles and headers”, the defender added, but patience is still required for the time being. “In all likelihood, I will be able to start again six weeks after the operation,” is Jantschke’s prognosis. He will probably not be available to the Fohlenelf before 2022.