Bayer Leverkusen will continue to be without forwards Nathan Tella and Montrell Culbreath. Head coach Carles Martínez confirmed that both players will miss the upcoming match against RB Leipzig and will use the international break to complete their rehabilitation.
Martínez is 42. We are making progress with Nathan and Montrell, but they are not ready yet, the coach said. Perhaps they can use the international break, these two to three weeks, to prepare themselves. Tella is dealing with recurring muscular issues which sidelined him for several days during pre-season. The 27-year-old Nigeria international came on as a substitute and scored in the 4-0 DFB-Pokal win at Wiesbaden, but then missed the Bundesliga opener at Elversberg.
Tella's Season Aim
His stated goal for the campaign is to avoid extended absences. My main goal for this season is that I don't immediately miss another five weeks after a good game, Nathan Tella said. Teenager Montrell Culbreath, aged 19, is absent with a foot injury.
Squad Situation Ahead of Leipzig Game
The absences come as the overall squad situation is slowly improving. Martin Terrier (29) and Eliesse Ben Seghir (21) are returning to the squad after their own injury lay-offs. Leverkusen sit eighth in the Bundesliga table with three points from two matches. The team's last outing was a 4-0 home win over Union Berlin. The goals were scored by E. Fernandez (1'), F. Medina (28'), P. Schick (48') and I. Maza (66').
The immediate focus is on Saturday's away match at FC Augsburg (15:30). Tella and Culbreath will definitely be unavailable for the RB Leipzig fixture a week later. Their return is planned for after the international break in October.
