Waldoch adds to Schalke woe

FC Schalke 04's pre-season preparations have been thrown into disarray by a series of injuries to key players less than a fortnight before the start of the new 1. Bundesliga campaign.

Missing captain
Schalke, who are in this season's UEFA Cup after winning the German Cup last season, will definitely be without their captain, Tomasz Waldoch, and the three Belgian internationals - Nico van Kerckhoven, Marc Wilmots and Emile Mpenza - for the opening fixture on 10 August. Sven Kmetsch (thigh) and Kristijan Djordjevic (groin) are also doubtful as is midfield player Jörg Böhme because of a tendon injury.

Knee surgery 
Waldoch, the 31-year-old Polish international, suffered a hairline crack in his left fibula during a German League Cup match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen yesterday and could be unavailable for a number of weeks, while defender Van Kerckhoven, 31, has undergone knee surgery on damaged cartilage and will be out of action for around three months.

Missed the World Cup
Wilmots is struggling with a persistent knee problem while Mpenza has yet to shake the thigh injury that forced him to miss the FIFA World Cup in the Far East over the summer.