Stranzl stranded on the sidelines

TSV 1860 München will be without the services of key defender Martin Stranzl for three months after he suffered a serious facial injury in training.

Hurt in training
The Austrian international will miss at least ten 1. Bundesliga matches. He was hurt during training today and tests showed he had suffered a break of the zygomatic bone, which is found on either side of the head and forms part of the eye socket.

Bitter blow
Stranzl, 22, will need an operation and he may not return until December. The injury is a bitter blow for the player who spent six months out last season with a torn cruciate ligament in his knee. He then suffered another ligament tear earlier this year which kept him out for two more months.

Italy interest
The central defender, who made his debut for 1860 in the 1998/99 season, has played nine times for his country and was set to figure in the start of their EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign. Stranzl is tipped for a great future and there were rumours of interest from Italy before his knee injury last year.