Hertha Berlin concerned for globe-trotting Australia star Mathew Leckie
Hertha Berlin are crossing their fingers leading scorer Mathew Leckie returns unscathed from a mammoth 34,890-mile trek to play for Australia in their upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup play-off.
Leckie has struck four times in nine Bundesliga appearances this term, but has failed to find the net in his last four outings with his performances hampered by a thigh problem.
The Australia international sat out the recent DFB Cup loss to Cologne and last weekend's win over Hamburg and he will also miss Thursday's UEFA Europa League game with Zorya and Sunday's Matchday 11 contest at VfL Wolfsburg due to the injury.
Watch: Leckie grabs two goals on his Hertha debut
'No miracles'
However, he is still due to board a plane on Monday bound for Sydney for the start of marathon global trek as his country goes head-to-head with Honduras for a place in Russia next summer.
After the 8,835-mile flight to Australia to met up with the rest of the squad, Leckie will board another flight for the 8,559-mile journey to Central America for the first leg on 10 November — a game in which he cannot play due to suspension — before making the return to Australia for the second leg five days later.
"I don't expect any miracle cure with Leckie," said concerned Hertha boss Pal Dardai. "You can't mess around with muscles, anything can happen. It's not my business or decision whether or not he plays there. I only hope that he's fit when he comes back from international duty, whether he has played or not."
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