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Friedrich set for back surgery

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

VfL Wolfsburg defender Arne Friedrich will undergo back surgery which looks likely to rule him out of Germany's opening two qualifying fixtures against Belgium and Azerbaijan.

Arne Friedrich (right) in action against Spain in last month's FIFA World Cup semi-final
Arne Friedrich (right) in action against Spain in last month's FIFA World Cup semi-final ©Getty Images

Germany look set to be without defender Arne Friedrich for their opening two UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers.

Friedrich picked up a back injury while in training with VfL Wolfsburg earlier this month which has since been found to be a slipped disc. The 31-year-old centre-back missed his new team's Bundesliga opener – a 2-1 defeat by FC Bayern München on Friday – and will undergo surgery on Thursday which looks likely to render him unavailable for his country's fixtures against Belgium and Azerbaijan on 3 and 7 September.

"We have tried to get the problem under control with regular treatment," said Friedrich. "Unfortunately, the development of the injury has shown that surgery cannot be prevented; several doctors have confirmed that. I will do everything to be back with the team as soon as possible." Friedrich has 79 international caps, the last of which came in the 3-2 win against Uruguay in this summer's FIFA World Cup third-place play-off.

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