RB Leipzig will be without Konrad Laimer for the Champions League doubleheader against Celtic next month. The Austrian picked up an ankle injury in the 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, which ruled him out for both the Real Madrid game as well as the Borussia Monchengladbach clash, both of which Leipzig lost.
Now, Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae has confirmed that the player will be out for the games after being ruled out for the rest of the calendar year. It is a blow for the player, who was linked with Bayern Munich in the summer but it represents a boost for Celtic’s qualification hopes as Laimer is one of Leipzig’s finest players.
The initial belief was that Laimer would be out for several weeks but that there may be a chance he would make the return trip to Paradise. However, it has emerged that he requires surgery.
Celtic will need to improve upon their performance against St Mirren yesterday after they fell to a 2-0 defeat on the road. The games against the Germans will destine whether Celtic are playing European football after Christmas with fine margins between second, third and fourth.