BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund and Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck will need more time before he makes his comeback from a knee injury, coach Niko Kovac said on Thursday.
Schlotterbeck underwent surgery five months ago for a meniscus tear in his left knee that he sustained in April and despite having come back to light team training in recent days, he is still not yet ready for a comeback.
Schlotterbeck’s services were also badly missed in Germany’s two World Cup qualifiers in the international break, with the national team suffering a shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia before beating Northern Ireland 3-1.
“Nico has come back after five months and has been doing some light training without contact,” Kovac told a press conference. “He is a key player, a top national team player.
“Before we even consider the national team, he has to be healthy for the club and have playing minutes in training, in Bundesliga and Champions League matches,” he said.
“It will take more time. A Bundesliga player and especially a defender has to be able to do one-on-ones if they want to be part of the bench, and he is not yet that far,” Kovac said.
Dortmund, who had a shorter pre-season due to the Club World Cup, travel to Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, having four points from their two league matches so far.
They also kick off their Champions League campaign on September 16 at Italy’s Juventus.
Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck needs more time until comeback, says Kovac
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Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck needs more time until comeback, says Kovac
- Schlotterbeck underwent surgery five months ago for a meniscus tear in his left knee
- “Nico has come back after five months and has been doing some light training without contact,” Kovac said
Bethell spins England to 3-0 sweep over Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup warmup
- The series served as a dress rehearsal for the 20-nation showpiece that Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India
- The left-armer snared three wickets in a dramatic over to flip the game on its head as the hosts were skittled for 116 with three balls to spare
PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Jacob Bethell underlined his importance to England’s T20 World Cup hopes as he spun them to a hard-fought 12-run win over Sri Lanka to complete a 3-0 clean sweep at Pallekele on Tuesday.
The series served as a dress rehearsal for the 20-nation showpiece that Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India.
The contest hung in the balance heading into the 18th over with Sri Lanka needing 21 runs off 18 balls with four wickets in hand but the part-time spin of Bethel turned the game.
The left-armer snared three wickets in a dramatic over to flip the game on its head as the hosts were skittled for 116 with three balls to spare. Bethel finished with career-best figures of four for 11.
“It was one of the most fun games I have been part of,” said England captain Harry Brook.
“We showed we can adapt to challenging conditions. Today we bowled 16 overs of spin and to do that against a Sri Lankan side in their own conditions is really satisfying.”
England had mustered only 128 for nine but showcased their depth and nous, defending a total that looked well below par on a surface offering turn and bounce.
After just four overs from the quicks, the spinners took center stage and wove a web around the Sri Lankan batters, much as they had throughout the tour.
The spinners had been pivotal in England’s ODI series triumph in Colombo last week and again proved the ace up their sleeve.
England head to India to launch their World Cup campaign with momentum at their backs, while Sri Lanka have plenty of soul-searching to do with their frailties against spin brutally exposed.
Bethel found able allies in Will Jacks, who bagged three wickets, while fellow tweakers Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson chipped in with one apiece to keep the hosts on a tight leash.
Sam Curran, England’s hero in the opening game with a hat-trick, showed his all-round pedigree in the dead rubber, carving out a career-best 58 from 48 balls to rescue the side that had slipped to 60 for six.
Returning quick Dushmantha Chameera, back after a groin injury, was a rare bright spark for Sri Lanka, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is. His five for 24 are the best figures in England-Sri Lanka contests and the third-best ever at Pallekele.
“Very disappointing. We need to address a few areas, especially the options we take against spin bowling,” said Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.
“I thought we had addressed that issue in the last game but the old problems resurfaced again.”
Both sides begin their World Cup campaign next Sunday with Sri Lanka hosting Ireland in Colombo while England face Nepal in Mumbai.
