Galatasaray's Servet ruled out for six weeks

Galatasaray AŞ and Turkey defender Servet Çetin has been ruled out of action for six weeks due to a foot injury.

Absence
The 27-year-old has undergone surgery on a metatarsal bone in his right foot and will miss crucial games for both club and country. The news will come as a blow for new Galatasaray coach Bülent Korkmaz, who replaced Michael Skibbe on Monday after a 5-2 home defeat by Kocaelispor at the weekend. Çetin will now sit out the visit of FC Girondins de Bordeaux to Istanbul in the UEFA Cup Round of 32 on Thursday night, the tie delicately poised after the first leg in France finished scoreless. He is likely to be joined on the sidelines against Bordeaux by fellow defender Emre Güngör, who sustained a leg injury in Sunday's defeat.

Important period
Servet, who has missed only one league game all season, would also be absent should Galatasaray earn a last 16 tie against NEC Nijmegen or Hamburger SV on 12 and 18/19 March, and will also be absent for Turkey's key 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification games against Spain on 28 March and 1 April. The top two in Group 5, Turkey will look to cut Spain's four-point lead when they travel to the Santiago Bernabéu at the end of next month before welcoming the European champions to Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen stadium four days later.