By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Bender brothers to miss Bundesliga opener

Sven and Lars Bender are both ruled out of Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga opener against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Lars Bender (left), Neymar (middle) and Sven Bender (right).
Lars Bender (left), Neymar (middle) and Sven Bender (right).Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil/CC-by-SA 3.0
Bayer Leverkusen's twin brothers Sven and Lars Bender will not be in the squad when 'Die Werkself' face Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first Bundesliga game of the season on Saturday.

According to Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich, Lars Bender has problems with his right knee while Sven Bender complains about ankle problems.

"Lars and Sven wanted to play, but it is not tolerable for health reasons," Herrlich told Bild.

Thus, the Bender twins join Leverkusen's already long injury list with prolific players such as Lukas Hradecky, Charles Aranguiz, Panagiotis Retsos and Julian Baumgartlinger also out with injuries.

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