Eintracht Braunschweig have suffered two cruciate ligament ruptures in one day. The team from Lower Saxony are Schalke’s first opponents of the new second division season.
What bitter news for Eintracht Braunschweig. Two of the second-division club’s professionals tore cruciate ligaments in their right knee on Wednesday: attacker Sidi Sané and goalkeeper Tino Casali, who also tore his collateral ligament.
As the club announced on Friday, both players will undergo surgery and be out of action for several months.
“The two diagnoses are bitter news for us and for the players,” said sporting director Benjamin Kessel, adding: ”Tino has made a good and ambitious impression in the summer preparations so far, he wanted to take his chance with us. Sidi has also set his sights high in order to get off to a flying start after a first year with us that was not always easy for him. We have seen him on a promising path in recent weeks. We will provide Tino and Sidi with the best possible support during their rehab process and wish them the best possible recovery.”
Ex-Schalke talent Sané injured again
Sané moved from FC Schalke 04’s second team to Eintracht Braunschweig in the summer of 2023. His first season in the Bundesliga 2 was already affected by various injuries, meaning that Leroy Sané’s younger brother only made ten appearances in 2023/2024, three of them from the start.
Prior to that, the Essen-born player went through all the youth stages in the Knappenschmiede, playing a total of twelve games in the U17 and 17 in the U19 Bundesliga West, and also made two brief appearances for the professionals.
Casali also joined Eintracht Braunschweig last summer. After spending last season on the bench, the 28-year-old Austrian had actually been hoping to replace Ron-Thorben Hoffmann, who had moved to Schalke, in goal this season.
Last season, Eintracht Braunschweig managed to secure their place in the Bundesliga 2 at the last minute. On the first matchday of the new season, the team from Lower Saxony will face Schalke 04