De Melo facing six-week lay-off

Túlio De Melo has picked up a knee injury that rules the LOSC Lille Métropole striker out for six weeks, starting with the UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against Fenerbahçe SK over the next two Thursdays.

De Melo, who was restricted to one group-stage appearance, also because of a knee problem, played in his side's 3-1 Ligue 1 win against US Boulogne at the weekend but subsequently missed training in the early part of this week. "He has a damaged meniscus and could miss four to six weeks," said coach Rudi Garcia. "With the departure of [Róbert] Vittek [on loan to MKE Ankaragücü], it will make room for other players to prove themselves, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Larsen Touré," he added. Lille welcome Fenerbahçe on Thursday with the return in Istanbul a week later.