Personnel-wise, the situation on the wing positions is currently causing headaches for VfL Bochum Especially on the left offensive side, two important players are missing. VfL coach Thomas Reis has to think about the line-up for the away match at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Danny Blum has apparently also lost the battle against time, meaning that the next potential starting eleven candidate for the left attacking wing will also have to be replaced in Leverkusen after Gerrit Holtmann. Blum was still in the starting line-up in the recent 2-0 win over TSG Hoffenheim, but injured his thigh during the first half of the game and had to come off early. Substitute Holtmann, who came on for Blum in the 39th minute, underwent surgery on both groins during the current international phase. He is not yet available for Saturday’s match in Leverkusen
Antwi-Adjeio and Pantovic candidates for the starting eleven
With Blum and Holtmann out, Reis will have to come up with something when manning the wings. One option: Christopher Antwi-Adjei gets a chance from the start and becomes a one-to-one replacement on the left. Or: Takuma Asano could switch from the right wing to the left and make room for another candidate like Milos Pantovic. The prerequisite for such thoughts is that Asano returns healthy from the Japanese national team, which competes in the World Cup qualifiers in Oman today at 5 pm.
The versatile Herbert Bockhorn could also be worth considering for the left side after overcoming an injury (fibre tear in the adductor area). In the test against Viktoria Köln (2:1) last week, Bockhorn gained one hour of match practice. However, it became apparent that the versatile winger still has some catching up to do in terms of fitness. That speaks against a starting eleven.
