Majstorovic misses out for Malmö

Malmö FF's hopes of overhauling Djurgårdens IF in the race for the Swedish title have been hit by the loss of Daniel Majstorovic for up to two months.

Hurt in fall
Majstorovic fell awkwardly during Monday's goalless derby with Helsingborgs IF and x-rays confirmed ligament damage. With the Swedish season nearing its conclusion, the 26-year-old central defender may not return to domestic action again this campaign.

Sporting fixtures
The club are also due to continue their UEFA Cup campaign with a tough first-round tie against Sporting Clube de Portugal. Majstorovic will almost certainly miss both legs, away a week today and then at home on 15 October, although there is hope he can recover sooner rather than first thought.

Recovery time
Malmö physiotherapist Rickard Dahan said: "It is hard to know exactly how long he will be out, but it usually takes between four and eight weeks. Sometimes players get back faster, but he will still need some time to get back to full fitness once the injury is OK."

Big game
In the Allsvenskan, Djurgården are seven points ahead of Malmö with a game in hand. Malmö have five matches left, and welcome Djurgården for a vital fixture on Sunday. Djurgården are the reigning champions of Sweden but were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the second qualifying round stage.