Bagger out until new year

Brøndby striker Ruben Bagger will not play again this year after tests revealed he has damaged his knee ligaments.

Training injury
The 30-year-old hurt himself when he slipped and landed awkwardly on his leg towards the end of a training session on Saturday. "It's incredibly annoying," he told the club's official website.

'A long time out'
"Straight after training on Saturday I was told by [club director] Per Bjerregaard that some people thought it would mean a long time out. Further tests have unfortunately confirmed our suspicions. There is damage to the ligaments and although it's not so bad that it needs an operation, there'll be no football for me until after Christmas."

Confidence high
However, Bagger believes his team-mates will be able to cope with his long absence. He said: "Luckily we have a large, talented squad and I'm sure that the boys will be able to keep us at the top of the table until the winter break."

UEFA Cup exit
Bagger has made 289 appearances for the Copenhagen club who were knocked out of the first round of the UEFA Cup after a 5-2 aggregate defeat against Bulgarian side PFC Levski Sofia.