Different situations, same result

It was a difficult evening for Emanuel Pogatetz and Karim Haggui: the centre-back partnership, that up until now has been almost flawless, were not on the field to hear the final whistle against St. Pauli: Emanuel had to leave due to a spinal injury, while Karim was shown a straight red card meaning he will be missing as the "rock at the back" against FC Bayern München.  

Pogatetz is also likely to be unavailable for the match against the reigning champions: the problem with his spine was taken care of in the dressing room after the match, but after further investigation it turned out that the Austrian international had ripped a muscle in his upper left thigh, which sees him out of contention for the next three weeks. It means that the Austrian national team will have to make do without one of their strongest players as they get ready to face Azerbaijan and Belgium in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers; bad news for both club and country.

Sergio Pinto also picked up a slight knock against FC St. Pauli. Just as with Pogatetz, his problem is centred in his left thigh, which has created concern about a possible sprain. "Pinte" will undertake a personal rehabilitation program over the coming days in the hope of getting back to full fitness before the international break is over.

For both of our injured players, we wish you a good and speedy recovery!