Gerardo Seoane had put a question mark behind five of his players for Saturday’s match against Bochum – with the hope of being able to delete this question mark in one or the other case. At least with Lucas Alario it looks bad against expectation.
“Lucas is not expected to train on the pitch all week,” is Seoane’s prognosis on the Argentina international striker, who has put his calf complaint behind him but still has to work on the knee problems that caused it.
“We know he has certain problematic issues. The medical department has now decided that we will take a little more time to build him up. That’s a fundamental decision,” the Swiss explained of Alario, whom he is not writing off entirely for Saturday, but whose chances of playing are low. “In the situation we are in, we have to take every chance. But with Lucas I’m less confident than with one or the other,” he explained.
Better prospects for Wirtz and Bellarabi
So things are looking better for idea man Florian Wirtz (groin and hip problems) and right winger Karim Bellarabi (after torn muscle fibre), who like Charles Aranguiz (muscle tendon injury in calf) and Patrik Schick (torn ligament and bone bruise in ankle) unlike Alario at least trained individually on the pitch.
“The plan is that Florian and Karim should safely join team training on Wednesday and play wide parts,” Seoane reported the water level. If everything goes according to plan, the duo could be in against Bochum. Midfielder Aranguiz also still has that chance from Seoane’s point of view. “Charly was on the pitch for the second time today – let’s see how he reacts. If he’s been through the programme and doesn’t get any problems, he can also get in relatively quickly. “
Schick “is still one step back “
There is less hope for centre-forward Patrik Schick. The Czech is still in the final part of his rehab, testing the load-bearing capacity of his damaged foot. “Patrik is still a step back. With him, it’s about whether he still has this stabbing pain,” Seoane explains. He says the torn ligament has healed, but when Schick twisted his ankle in the derby in Cologne, bone also hit bone. “There he still had problems at the beginning of the week. When the pain is less, he would be available.”
Many question marks remain. “With all these players, the traffic light is still on orange, not green,” Seoane points out, stressing, “Even if they play, it will still be a tightrope walk.” Because healthy players are not automatically top-fit players. Because a successful rehab and build-up cannot replace training and match practice.
