Borussia Dortmund Set to Be Without Captain Marcel Schmelzer for Up to 4 Weeks

Borussia Dortmund could be without their club captain for the start of the Bundesliga season, with Marcel Schmelzer set to be absent through injury for around four weeks.

The 29-year-old suffered a partial tear in his right ankle ligament in the final training session before their 3-1 victory over AC Milan in the Champions Cup which took place in Guangzhou, China.

The left-back will now go for medical tests to see the extent of the damage, but it is highly unlikely that he will be available for Dortmund's opening game against Wolfsburg on August 19, as reported by ESPN.

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 26: Team captain of Borussia Dortmund Marcel Schmelzer looks on during the DFB Cup Final 2017 press conference at Olympiastadion on May 26, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Martin Rose/GettyImages

Schmelzer's injury is yet another blow for the new manager, Peter Bosz, who is already without key men Marco Reus, Julian Weigl and Raphael Guerreiro for the start of the 2017/18 season.

Nevertheless, the former Ajax boss is not too concerned just yet, telling reporters: "We have Erik Durm and Felix Passlack who can play in that position and also Dan-Axel Zagadou."

Dortmund technically begin their campaign on August 5 when they meet bitter rivals Bayern Munich is the German Super Cup with Schmelzer certain to miss the fixture.