After David Alaba and Sasa Kalajdzic, Xaver Schlager is the third ÖFB team player to suffer a torn cruciate ligament this season. Schlager is out of the European Championship just as quickly as Kalajdzic, and captain Alaba’s participation would be “a small miracle” for team boss Ralf Rangnick.
Manprit Sarkaria’s European Championship hopes are minimal due to a broken ankle, with Philipp Lienhart (knee problems), Kevin Danso (adductor strain) and Maximilian Wöber (torn hamstring), three other central defenders (in addition to Alaba) currently having to sit out injured.
Overview of the injured ÖFB team players:
David Alaba (torn cruciate ligament): The captain of the ÖFB team has had to take a break for six months due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The head of defense of the Spanish champions Real Madrid got stuck in the turf in the 32nd minute of the home game once morest Villarreal in a duel with Gerard Moreno on December 17th and twisted his left knee. The European Championship is not completely written off, but participation is very unlikely.
Xaver Schlager (torn cruciate ligament): The regular player in the central ÖFB midfield and at RB Leipzig will be out for several months following tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Schlager was injured on Friday in the Bundesliga game at TSG Hoffenheim following a quarter of an hour without any opposition. This is the 26-year-old’s second cruciate ligament tear. The first happened in the right knee.
Sasa Kalajdzic (Kreuzbandriss): The two-meter man tore his third cruciate ligament on February 18th. The 26-year-old striker from Eintracht Frankfurt was injured in the Bundesliga game once morest SC Freiburg in the 8th minute without any external influence. The diagnosis that meant the end of his European Championship dream was a tear in the cruciate and lateral ligaments in his right knee.
Manprit Sarkaria (broken ankle): The Sturm Graz offensive player broke his outer ankle on March 7th. Sarkaria was injured while shooting on goal in the 37th minute in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League once morest OSC Lille in Graz. The 27-year-old made his team debut in October last year in the European Championship qualifiers at home once morest Belgium.
Philipp Lienhart (knee problems): The SC Freiburg central defender has been sidelined for a month and a half due to problems in his left knee. In January, the 27-year-old had to undergo an operation due to nerve irritation in his right groin and made his brief comeback on March 17th. The substitution in the 62nd minute was his last appearance to date.
Kevin Danso (adductor strain): The defense chief of top French club Lens suffered an adductor strain in the championship game once morest Lorient on Friday and was substituted at half-time. His participation in the European Championship should not be in danger, but the central defender is likely to miss Lens’ last two league games.
Maximilian Wöber (torn muscle fiber): The Borussia Mönchengladbach defender, who can be used centrally and on the left, suffered a slight muscle fiber tear in his thigh in the championship game once morest Hoffenheim on April 20th and has sat out the two games since then.
