Marseille lose Højbjerg to injury after ten minutes in Cardiff

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg lasted ten minutes of Wales-Denmark in Cardiff on Sunday. The Marseille midfielder went off injured, making way for Andreas Skov Olsen within the first quarter of an hour of this Nations League fixture. Foot Mercato reports “muscular pain” without naming the muscle or the severity. Starting for the fourth time this international break, he left Denmark to play on without him.

L’Équipe, whose report sits behind a paywall, puts it in its headline: “L’hécatombe se poursuit pour l’OM”. Before Sunday, the international break had already cost Marseille four players:

• Derek Cornelius, a hip injury picked up in training: the club speaks of a “significant period of unavailability”, and L’Équipe suggests at least three months out;
• Amine Gouiri, a left quadriceps problem with Algeria: about a week out, with a return hoped for the trip to Troyes on 11 October;
• Himad Abdelli, forced off against Burundi with a left ankle injury and since seen on crutches;
• Tadjidine Mmadi, hurt with France’s under-20 side, a case seen as less worrying.

A squad to patch up before Troyes

Still, two bits of good news for Marseille: Paixão and Harit, both injured against PSG, are closing in on a return, and the club hopes to have Nnadi and Kondogbia back in October. The restart is set for Troyes on 11 October. As for Højbjerg, no timeline has been announced as I write: a muscular injury can mean a few days or several weeks.

For the bettor, the rule holds for every injury picked up on international duty: wait for the diagnosis before touching a price, because a headline tells you less than a scan. The match in Cardiff goes on without Højbjerg: I break it down in our match preview. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.