Dortmund’s Adeyemi likely to play against Hoffenheim, says boss Sahin

BARCELONA: Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi is training well and could play Sunday’s Bundesliga home game against Hoffenheim after recovering from a muscle injury, head coach Nuri Sahin said on Friday.

The 22-year-old Germany international, who was an unused substitute in Dortmund’s 3-2 home loss to LaLiga side Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, has been out of action since picking up the injury in October.

Injury-plagued Dortmund, who are missing defenders Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Suele and Waldemar Anton, are sixth in the Bundesliga table with 21 points from 13 matches and trail leaders Bayern Munich by 12 points.

“Karim already wanted to play against Barcelona. He’s training very well, he’s very stable. He looks fresh and is definitely a candidate for the last two games of the year,” Sahin told reporters. Dortmund’s final game of the year is against fifth-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Dec. 22.

Sahin was unsure about the availability of fullback Julian Ryerson, attacking midfielder Julian Brandt and forward Maximilian Beier. “We still have to wait and see with Ryerson, Brandt and Beier. We have our final training session tomorrow and will then decide who will start alongside Emre Can in central defence,” Sahin said.

Sahin is expecting a stiff test against Hoffenheim, who are 14th in the standings with 13 points. “We’ve completely analysed Hoffenheim. We know what we’re up against... But now we’re focussing on ourselves and our game,” he said.