Schalke will go into the Bundesliga season without midfielder Ivan Rakitic after he tore ankle ligaments at the weekend.

The Croatian faces four weeks on the sidelines, joining Jermaine Jones and Christian Pander in the treatment room.

All three have been ruled out of the Royal Blues' opening Bundesliga fixture at Nurnberg on August 8, although Rakitic's injury is not as bad as first feared and he should be able to recover without an operation.

The 21-year-old played 23 games last season, scoring one goal.