The new year begins with a forced break for Stefan Drljaca. The Dynamo Dresden goalkeeper is injured.

Third division club SG Dynamo Dresden will start 2024 without their number one Stefan Drljaca. In the last game of the year at Arminia Bielefeld (1-0), the 24-year-old had to be substituted after a treatment break.

“SGD’s regular goalkeeper suffered a muscle injury in his right front thigh during the away game in Bielefeld. This was the result of an MRI examination at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden,” the second-placed team in the 3rd division announced one day before Christmas Eve.

The next steps will probably only be discussed in more detail after the holidays. “In close consultation between the doctors at the university hospital, SGD’s medical department and the player, a decision will be made soon on how to proceed with treatment and any rehabilitation measures,” the club’s statement read.

The goalkeeper is facing a longer break. “As things stand at the moment, Stefan Drljaca will not be fully available to head coach Markus Anfang until the second half of the season at the earliest”, meaning SGD will start the first games of the new year with a different goalkeeper between the posts.

Drljaca, who was born in Homburg, has been in goal for Dynamo in all 20 third division games this season, keeping seven clean sheets. Kevin Broll (28) is available as a replacement, but was absent in Bielefeld due to illness. After Drljaca’s injury, 19-year-old Erik Herrmann celebrated his third league debut at Bielefeld, which lasted just a few minutes.

Dynamo Dresden will kick off the 2024 soccer year on January 20 against SV Sandhausen. The match against Borussia Dortmund II a week later (January 28) could also come too soon for goalkeeper Drljaca