Borussia Dortmund have confirmed Nico Schlotterbeck will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
The Germany defender missed Saturday’s 4-1 win over Freiburg and will now be a spectator as Dortmund look to salvage a disappointing season.
Dortmund visit Barcelona for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, with that competition their sole hope of silverware in this campaign.
Back-to-back wins over Mainz and Freiburg have injected life into Dortmund’s challenge to feature in next season’s Champions League.
Dortmund now trail fourth-placed Mainz by five points with six league games to play.
ℹ️ Tough news to close out the season: Nico Schlotterbeck has sustained a meniscus tear in his left knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. pic.twitter.com/ki3zfAZLwb
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 7, 2025
But the task of overhauling that deficit and overcoming LaLiga leaders Barca over two legs will be more difficult without Schlotterbeck.
Sporting director Sebastian Kohl said: “Nico’s loss has hit us very hard. He is a very important part of our team and has impressed with consistently good performances this season.
“We hope that he will be fit again quickly, and he will receive maximum support from us as he works towards his comeback.”
Schlotterbeck has played in 23 Bundesliga games and 12 Champions League matches this season.
Able to play as a centre-back and at left-back, he has proven a decent creative outlet in 2024-25, providing four assists in the Bundesliga and a further two in the Champions League.
