Thiago Alcantara will be out for "several weeks" after Bayern Munich confirmed the severity of the ankle injury he sustained on Tuesday.
A foul by Bjorn Schlottke forced Thiago off in the 75th minute of Bayern's 2-1 victory over Rodinghausen in the DFB-Pokal second round.
The former Barcelona midfielder is set for a prolonged spell out of action and will miss Der Klassiker against Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund on November 10.
A Bayern statement read: "Thiago faces several weeks on the sidelines. The Spain international tore the lateral collateral ligament and the articular capsule in his right ankle in the DFB-Pokal tie against Rodinghausen."
Get well soon October 31, 2018
Thiago was ruled out for almost three months of the previous season after suffering a thigh injury in November 2017.
He joins Corentin Tolisso (knee) and Kingsley Coman (ankle) on Bayern's long-term absentee list.
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