Borussia Dortmund will not be able to count on Dutch striker Donyell Malen this Wednesday against Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, as he did not recover in time from his muscle injury, as confirmed by the German club in their social networks.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for him,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said before flying to the Spanish capital at Dortmund airport. The Dutch attacker injured his thigh at the end of the month, and was already out of the German team’s last two Bundesliga games, against Bayern Munich and Stuttgart.
His absence adds to that of Algerian left back Ramy Bensebaini, who suffered a rupture of the medial ligament in his knee during the international break with his national team, and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Thus, Dortmund arrives in Madrid only with the option of the Dutchman Ian Maatsen, on loan from Chelsea, in the left wing, for the match that will be played this Wednesday, at 9:00 p.m., at the Cívitas Metropolitano. “We feel tingly and looking forward to the moment,” Kehl confessed, faced with the possibility of returning to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2013.