Bayer Leverkusen lose Bellarabi

Bayer Leverkusen will be without Germany winger Karim Bellarabi as they begin their Champions League campaign against CSKA Moscow, but could welcome back Kevin Volland.

Bellarabi is to undergo surgery on the groin injury he sustained during Saturday's 3-1 win over Hamburg and is facing a battle to return before the end of the year.

However, Volland is available again after recovering from the broken hand he suffered on international duty last month, although Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt refused to confirm whether the 24-year-old will feature against CSKA.

"Karim Bellarabi will be out for a couple of months and will undergo an operation in Basle (on Wednesday)," Schmidt said at his pre-match press conference.

"Vladlen Yurchenko has a fractured leg and Kevin Volland isn't quite up to full speed yet. He's fit enough to make the squad, but we'll have to wait and see on that one."

Joel Pohjanpalo, who is the joint top-scorer in the Bundesliga after climbing off the bench to score a hat-trick in the final 11 minutes against Hamburg, is also not guaranteed a place in the first XI either.

Leverkusen's weekend win was their first of the new Bundesliga season after starting out with a 2-1 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach.

CSKA, meanwhile, are second in the Russian Premier League with 14 points from a possible 18.

They have conceded just one goal so far and warmed up for the trip to Germany with a 3-0 win over Terek Grozny.