Marc Bartra had to be substituted in the first half of Borussia Dortmund's 0-0 draw with Freiburg.
Marc Bartra had to be substituted in the first half of Borussia Dortmund's 0-0 draw with Freiburg.

Marc Bartra out of Borussia Dortmund's Champions League opener against Tottenham Hotspur

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Having picked up a groin injury in Borussia Dortmund’s 0-0 draw at Freiburg, Marc Bartra was in a race against time to be fit to face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday in the Champions League. The Spanish defender has lost the race.

Peter Bosz and his Dortmund squad travelled to London on Tuesday without Spanish international defender Bartra. The 26-year-old defender failed a late fitness test, forcing the Dutch coach to leave him out of the squad to play at Wembley on Wednesday.

Dortmund’s opening group stage game marks the first of six games in the space of just 17 days, and an injury crisis has plagued Bosz’s squad early in the season.

Die Schwarzgelben were already without Marco Reus (ankle ligament), Marcel Schmelzer (ankle ligament), Raphael Guerreiro (ankle), Andre Schürrle (muscular), Erik Durm (hip) and Sebastian Rode (ankle).

Some good news for Dortmund fans, though, is that after 120 days on the sidelines and 45 minutes for the U23 team on Saturday, Julian Weigl has travelled to London with the squad.

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