Torn buttock muscle keeps Bayer's Hernandez out
Bayer Leverkusen will be without Mexican striker Javier Hernandez for this weekend's Bundesliga match at Darmstadt with a torn buttock muscle, his club announced on Wednesday. 'Chicharito' suffered the injury in Leverkusen's 3-1 defeat at home to Werder Bremen in the quarter-finals of the German Cup on Tuesday and clutched his leg when he went off in the 57th minute. The 27-year-old has been in great form with 22 goals in 26 matches in all competitions since joining Leverkusen from Manchester United in August and the club are awaiting the results of his scan on Wednesday to see how long he will be out for. Leverkusen are fifth in the league table and it is unclear when they will be able to rely on their Central American forward again, ahead of their Europa League round of 32, first leg match at Sporting Lisbon on Thursday February 18. With 13 goals in his 17 league games, Hernandez is the fourth-highest scorer in the Bundesliga behind Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (20), plus Bayern Munich pair Robert Lewandowski (19) and Thomas Mueller (14).
