Injured Gotze ruled out of Real Madrid clash

Russell Greaves

Injured Gotze ruled out of Real Madrid clash image

Mario Gotze has been ruled out of Borussia Dortmund's Champions League trip to holders Real Madrid with a knee injury.

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The attacking midfielder, who was an unused substitute in Saturday's 4-1 Bundesliga win over Borussia Monchengladbach, has not travelled with his team-mates to the Spanish capital.

Gotze, whose only goal this season came in the 6-0 Group F win over Legia Warsaw in September, has struggled to recapture his best form since returning to Signal Iduna Park.

The winner he assisted in the 1-0 victory against former club Bayern Munich last month is the only one he has been involved in across eight Bundesliga appearances in 2016-17.

Dortmund lead their Champions League group by two points and won their last outing 8-4 against Legia – a record high-scoring match in the competition.

Russell Greaves