Schweinsteiger Leaves Stuttgart Match with a Knee Injury

Bastian Schweinsteiger left Bayern München's Bundesliga finale against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday with a knee injury, according to the club's twitter account.

.@BSchweinsteiger's substitution was due to a knee injury. @Manuel_Neuer has taken over the captain's armband. Get well soon, Basti! #FCBVFB

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 10, 2014

The vice-captain called for a sub in the first half, Pep Guardiola calling upon Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to take his place in the 37th minute. Schweinsteiger looked to be favoring his left leg as he headed off the field and out of sight. The severity of the injury has yet to be announced.

Schweinsteiger has missed nearly half the season with knee and ankle issues. He recently restored a level of consistent fitness during the final stretch of the season, starting 14 of Bayern's last 15 matches in all competitions – the only match he missed, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal against Manchester United, was due to a card suspension.

The timing of his injury is unfortunate, for Bayern participate in the DFB-Pokal against Borussia Dortmund final in a week's time. Should Schweinsteiger become unavailable, Javi Martinez, who has played in the midfield during Bayern's last three Bundesliga matches, could step up as a replacement.

With Franck Ribery, Mario Götze, and Philipp Lahm not on the team sheet already against Stuttgart, Guardiola's once deep squad looks rather thin in Bayern's last significant match of the 2013/14 season.