Schwegler sidelined for Leverkusen ties

Bayer 04 Leverkusen midfielder Pirmin Schwegler is likely to miss at least two UEFA Cup group-stage matches after suffering a knee injury on international duty.

Two months out
Schwegler ruptured a knee ligament playing for the Switzerland Under-21s in Norway on Friday and is expected to require two months of rest and rehabilitation. The lay-off will rule the 20-year-old out of Leverkusen's Group E games at home to Toulouse FC, on 25 October, and away to FC Spartak Moskva, on 8 November.

Grey area
His availability for the Bundesliga club's concluding two group fixtures – the December meetings with AC Sparta Praha and FC Zürich – remains a question mark. Schwegler had been sidelined for several weeks at the start of the season by another knee injury. He has managed four Bundesliga appearances this term for eighth-placed Leverkusen. Switzerland lost the match in Oslo 2-1.