Altintop, Krstajic and Pander set to return
15.10.2007
The two-week international break is proving beneficial for Schalke as it is giving head coach Mirko Slomka and his staff valuable time to ease a number of injured players back into training. This is how the injury list stands at present:
Peter Lovenkrands: The back injury that has forced him to sit out training for the last few days has cleared up and he is expected to return tomorrow (Tuesday).
Rafinha: The Brazilian had to go off during the friendly against Wuppertal due to a cut lower leg but he too is expected to resume training on Tuesday.
Halil Altintop: The Turkey striker suffered a muscle tear during the home clash with Hertha BSC Berlin on 28 September. "We're putting him through a fitness test on Monday and Tuesday and if everything goes well he'll be back in training on Wednesday", said club doctor Bernd Brexendorf.
Mathias Abel: The cruciate ligament tear sustained in training will keep him out until the second half of the season at least. The defender is currently doing regenerative work at the club's medicos rehab centre.
Christian Pander: The Schalke left-back was sidelined by a kick to the thigh while playing for Germany in Wales on September 8. The bruising to his left thigh left him in considerable pain and also led to some inflammation of the adductor muscles. "It was a miracle we were able to get him fit for a couple of games", said Brexendorf looking back. But ahead of the Champions League trip to Rosenborg on October 3 the doc decided enough was enough: "Primarily to prevent the injury from getting worse." The bruising is now subsiding and if the healing process continues without complications Pander could return to full training by the end of the week.
Mladen Krstajic: Krstajic injured his knee in a challenge with Gekas in the game against Leverkusen on 31 August. The diagnosis: a torn knee ligament. "Mladen has completed six weeks of rehabilitation training and his fitness and coordination levels have not deteriorated very much. He'll start working with the ball and doing sprint exercises at the beginning of this week and could resume full training by the end of the week", said Brexendorf.
Levan Kobiashvili: The groin strain he suffered against Hertha a fortnight ago will keep him out for at least another six weeks. The problems began with an adductor injury the Georgian sustained playing for his country in Luxembourg on 22 August. But after making a couple of brief appearances against Duisburg and Bielefeld and coming through a rigorous training programme unscathed Kobiashvili suffered a setback. "Basically the old injury has been exacerbated by a new one", explained Brexendorf. If all goes well the Georgian could return to action before the winter break in December.
Gerald Asamoah: The toe injury he picked up against Bayern Munich has virtually cleared up. This meant the Germany striker was able to return to the starting line-up for the home clash with Karlsruhe. "He's still feeling the injury a bit but it's not enough to rule him out", said Brexendorf.
