BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface is set to miss \u201ca few games\u201d after returning from international duty with a leg injury, coach Xabi Alonso said Friday.\u201cHe\u2019s got a small injury in his thigh muscle, it\u2019s a shame,\u201d Alonso told reporters ahead of Saturday\u2019s home clash with Heidenheim.
Nigerian media reported Boniface could miss the remainder of 2024 but Alonso was optimistic the striker would be back soon.
\u201cHe won\u2019t be there tomorrow or against Salzburg (Champions League).
\u201cWe hope he will play again this year. We have to wait and see, but it\u2019s not going to be six or eight weeks.\u201d
Forward Patrik Schick, who has started just twice in the league this season, is expected to step up in the Nigerian\u2019s absence.
\u201cHe is always ready \u2014 we don\u2019t just need him now, but always.\u201d
The defending champions, who did not lose a game in Germany last year on the way to an unbeaten league and cup double, have stuttered this season.
Leverkusen are currently in fourth, nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. Alonso\u2019s men have dropped 13 points so far this season, one more than the 12 they leaked in the entirety of the last campaign.
Boniface is Leverkusen\u2019s highest scorer in the league, with six goals and an assist in 10 games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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