Youssoufa Moukoko was expected to make a difference in Borussia Dortmund’s game at VfB Stuttgart. But he had to leave the pitch early.

Bad news for Borussia Dortmund: striker Youssoufa Moukoko was injured in the DFB Cup round of 16 at VfB Stuttgart and had to leave the field after just 25 minutes. Niclas Füllkrug, who Edin Terzic had initially ordered to the bench, came on for him.

After one of the few attacks by Borussia Dortmund in the first half, Moukoko suddenly remained seated in the penalty area after Marcel Sabitzer had hit the crossbar. It was initially unclear what had happened to Moukoko. The signs pointed to a muscle injury.

Moukoko was supposed to give BVB more pace against VfB Stuttgart, as Dortmund wanted to rely on the counterattack from a compact defense. The striker brings significantly more speed than Füllkrug, who then came into the game for Moukoko.

Moukoko has had a tough time at BVB this season, with only a few appearances to show for it. He played for 45 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt – his longest appearance in the Bundesliga this season. He played the full 90 minutes against TSG Hoffenheim in the last DFB Cup round, in a 1-0 win.

It’s tough for BVB that another striker is currently facing bigger problems. Sebastién Haller is not even in Borussia Dortmund’s squad for the DFB Cup match against VfB Stuttgart because he is suffering from knee problems. He was absent due to illness against Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the past few games, he has only ever been in the squad – but never played. He doesn’t seem to be fully fit.

If Moukoko is also out for the final weeks of the year, BVB will only have one fit striker available in Füllkrug. However, Edin Terzic’s team still have four competitive games to play before Christmas, three of them in the Bundesliga.