Bayern Munich will not have available one of its key players for the crucial match against Barcelona. French midfielder Franck Ribery could not recover from an ankle injury, and not only he will miss Wednesday's game, he will be out for the rest of the season.
Ribery stated he tried to come back, but the injured ankle did not respond appropriately to therapy, so he had no choice but to remain away from the pitch.
"I'm really sad. I had great plans, because I worked so hard to be back earlier than expected, but it wasn't possible. My ankle did not respond to the treatment and that's really frustrating," Ribery stated.
Yesterday, club director Matthias Sammer revealed it would be absolutely impossible for the Frenchman to play at least 45 minutes, and his words were backed by Ribery's statement today.
Although Bayern managed to overcome their 3-1 defeat against Porto without Ribery, the Frenchman's comeback would have provided a major boost for the Bavarians, since a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of the series gives Barcelona an almost unsurmountable advantage.
Bayern will host Barcelona this Tuesday at Allianz Arena.
