So, it’s just like old times - Bundesliga game coming up Robben and Ribery are trying to come back from injury with individual training exercises, and no one can tell whether they will be fit by game time. Here’s some video uploaded Tuesday of the pair testing out their injured lower regions:
In this one, Robben looks close to game-ready. Considering he had a hamstring injury, and not a knee or ankle problem, the main concern is getting the strength and flexibility back in the muscle. His movement looks pretty good in the lateral high-step running (starting at about 0:21), and this was Tuesday. So I’m hopeful he will be ready by the ‘Gladbach game on Sunday afternoon.
Ribery is different question. In the above video, we only got a glimpse of him running on a treadmill through a high window. Not very encouraging. But here’s some footage from yesterday:
Better, in that he’s running outside, and able to run until he’s exhausted. But with an ankle injury, you can be perfectly fit to run, but still have trouble with quick turns, stop-and-go moves, and other things that are harder to simulate at the practice facility. Even Christian Nerlinger looks like he’s able to put more into the high-kick drill. Hell, maybe we can throw our Sporting Director out there against ‘Gladbach.
The club’s official site has only bland descriptions of their individual training regimens, and says that both are "hopeful" of starting Sunday. I think Robben will be ready to go, although I’ve been wrong before. The rest of the club had the day off yesterday, but hopefully one or both of our wings can take part in today’s practice. We’ll let you know if any news comes across the wire.
Tomorrow, tune back in for a preview of the ‘Gladbach match and a look at the weekend’s full slate of games. We’ll be here Sunday morning with a Match Day Thread, and there are a few options for watching the game live. Thanks for reading.