Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Granit Xhaka is trying to recover from an ankle injury ahead of Friday’s Bundesliga restart against Borussia Dortmund, with coach Xabi Alonso expressing hope that the Swiss international will be fit by then.
Thanks to his experience and dominant position in midfield, Xhaka has had a huge impact on Leverkusen, with last season’s champions currently sitting in second place, four points behind Bayer Munich.
Xhaka, who sprained his ankle in training this week, also scored twice to take his further five Bundesliga goals this season. The league resumes play after a three-week winter break.
“Tomorrow we will train a bit and we will make a decision,” Alonso said at a press conference. “We still need a little more time.”
“He sprained his ankle a bit, but there is still hope. There are still over 24 hours left until the match, there is still some time. We have to wait. It’s not serious, but we’ll see tomorrow if he’s with us.”
Alonso said Xhaka, 32, had not completed a full training session earlier on Thursday.
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Leverkusen ended 2024 on a five-game winning streak in the league and will hope to start the new year with another victory, despite Dortmund being unbeaten at home this season.
“At home they are very strong, they play with great quality,” Alonso said. We will need our best game, good mentality and stability. We will need an excellent performance from us.
“We have had enough time to prepare for this and we expect a top-class match against a top opponent,” he said.
Dortmund is sixth with 25 points, seven behind Leverkusen.
