RB Leipzig captain Peter Gulacsi suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in last night’s Champions League win over Celtic and will spend a lengthy spell on the side-lines, the Bundesliga club have confirmed.
The Hungarian international was taken off early on in the 3-1 win over Ange Postecoglou’s side after collapsing following awkward clearance under little pressure, and will now almost certainly miss the rest of Leipzig’s season.
The 32-year-old was replaced between the sticks by Jonas Blaswich for his Champions League debut.
Speaking after the game, Blaswich told Leipzig’s official website: “A backup keeper must be ready to come on at any moment of the game.
“I wish Pete all the best and hope that it’s not a bad injury. The fans’ reaction to him going off was very strong.
“It was important that we played well and got our first three points. We’re approaching a very intense phase with a lot of games. Our workload is of course very high, but we’re prepared for it.”
Another long-term injury ahead of next week’s crucial Paradise stand-off
Gulacsi is just the latest in a series of long-term injuries to key players for Leipzig this season, whose inconsistent start to the season has been punctuated with lay-offs.
Although Dani Olmo will likely return from ligament damage in the coming weeks, he will almost certainly miss next week’s return leg in Paradise, alongside Konrad Laimer and Lukas Klostermann.
Celtic, of course, have injury concerns of their own after Callum McGregor was forced off before half-time in Leipzig last night, with his immediate fitness pivotal in a huge month in the club’s season.
Last night’s defeat leaves next Tuesday’s game against the German side in Paradise as a must-win if Celtic are to have any realistic hopes of progression from Group F, with similar stakes for the following home game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Should Real Madrid complete the job against the Ukrainians and then win in Leipzig, six points from the two home games will be enough to see Celtic through with a dead rubber at the Santiago Bernabeu on Matchday 6 to enjoy, but it remains a tall order for the Hoops.
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