Czech striker Patrik Schick, still recovering from an injury to the twin, will not be able to play the repechage match against Sweden on Thursday to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, the Czech team announced on Monday in a statement.
The 26-year-old Bayer Leverkusen attacker is currently the second top scorer in the Bundesliga with 20 goals, behind the untouchable Robert Lewandowski.
On February 18, he suffered a muscle tear in his twin, during the championship match against Mainz.
“He returned to training a week ago, but he is only available to return to collective training with the team. It's a big loss for us,” commented Czech coach Jaroslav Silhavy.
The winner of the match between Sweden and the Czech Republic, scheduled on Thursday in Solna (19:45 GMT), will face Poland on March 29 for a place in the World Cup in Qatar.
According to Silhavy, Schick could be ready for that second match, if his teammates overcome the Swedish obstacle.
The Czech attacker finished as the top scorer of the last Euro Cup, drawing five goals with Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, one of them 50 metres from the goal against Scotland.
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