In the semi-final first leg against West Ham, Jesper Lindström suffered a thigh injury and has been out ever since. However, the quick-as-an-arrow Dane could be back in time for the Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers.
As expected, Jens Petter Hauge once again came on in place of Lindström in the 2-2 draw in Mainz. The 22-year-old Norwegian would probably also be in the first eleven on Wednesday in Sevilla, should it not make sense for Lindström to start from the beginning due to health reasons.
However, confidence is now growing that the Danish international will be available against Rangers. “Jesper is on a good path and pain-free. It may be that it will be a spot start. The next few days will show that. He is already running, doing things with the ball and has increased the load significantly, so he may now be able to join team training. It will be a tight game, but it might work out,” explained sporting director Markus Krösche after the game in Mainz.
Coach Oliver Glasner also spoke of things looking “quite good”: “It’s important for him to have two or three days of training to be ready for the intensity that awaits us on Wednesday.” Even if it is not enough for a start, the chances are apparently not bad that Lindström will at least be in the squad and could help as a wild card.
