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<\/a><\/p>\nBERLIN (Reuters) – Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck will miss Saturday’s Bundesliga game at VfB Stuttgart and fellow defender Niklas Suele is doubtful with a muscle injury, coach Edin Terzic said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Dortmund are in second place in the Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Bayern Munich with seven matches remaining.<\/p>\n
“Nico is now pain-free but he will not be available for the match,” Terzic told a news conference. The Germany international was injured in Dortmund’s 4-2 loss to Bayern on April 1. <\/p>\n
Suele had not trained with the team this week, Terzic said.<\/p>\n
“So he is doubtful for Saturday but even if he is not available we hope he will be better next week.”<\/p>\n
Dortmund are chasing their first Bundesliga title in 11 years, with Bayern having won the last 10 consecutive league crowns.<\/p>\n
The Bavarians, however, are in the middle of a crisis with a row between players Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane dominating the headlines after Tuesday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.<\/p>\n
New Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel also saw his team crash out of the German Cup last week with a home defeat to Freiburg.<\/p>\n
Terzic said whatever turbulence Bayern were experiencing at the moment would have little effect on the title race.<\/p>\n
“It is difficult to evaluate all this from a distance. It is not that we have had a quiet week. So we can talk about the things that we need to improve.<\/p>\n
“Sure, it is a bit less quiet in the past weeks (at Bayern)you’ve all seen it . But we still know we have our own issues to deal with,” Terzic said.<\/p>\n
Dortmund beat third-placed Union Berlin 2-1 last week to bounce back from their loss to Bayern and the coach said his players needed to show more of that attitude against Stuttgart. <\/p>\n
“We want to talk less and show more. We did it well against a direct rival (Union) so we want to pick up from that,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It is the final stretch and we have a hunger going into the remaining seven game and want to experience an amazing story.”<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)<\/p>\n
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