Key Borussia Dortmund star ruled out for season ahead of Barcelona clash | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund have the unenviable task of working out how to halt Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, and now they will be forced to do so without arguably the player that might have contributed to that most. Central defender Nico Schlotterbeck has been ruled out for the rest of the season, and as such, will miss both of their clashes with Barcelona.

Schlotterbeck has been a key part of their backline this season and one of their most reliable presences this season, however the German international will be out of action for several months. Dortmund announced on Monday afternoon that Schlotterbeck had torn his meniscus.

His absence is compounded by four more that manager Nico Kovac must contend with, including defensive partner Niklas Sule, who MD say is unlikely to make the match. There is also significant doubt over Marcel Sabitzer, who has been instrumental in the middle of the pitch, and performed well against Barcelona in the league phase. Sabitzer is generally partnered by Pascal Gross in midfield, but he is suspended for the first leg, leaving a difficult hole to fill in the middle of the pitch. At left-back, Rami Bensabaini was also taken off against Freiburg on Saturday, and his presence is in doubt.

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Almugera Kabar replaced Bensabaini against Freiburg, while Carney Chukwuemeka played in place of Sabitzer. Felix Nmecha and Salih Ozan are other alternatives in the middle, particularly if Sabitzer does not make it back in time.

Of course Barcelona are dealing with a similar number of key absences themselves, albeit they have grown use to coping without them. Captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been ably replaced by Wojciech Szczesny, while midfielders Marc Casado, Marc Bernal and Dani Olmo are all out of action too. Olmo could return for the second leg, but replacing him is the major debate for Hansi Flick on Wednesday night, with Fermin Lopez and Gavi chief candidates to do so.