Sam likely to miss league restart

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Sidney Sam could miss the Bundesliga restart after picking up a thigh injury in training today. The 23-year-old, who emerged as one of Bayer's most important players in the first half of the season, limped out of training after pulling a muscle. He will undergo a scan to confirm the extent of the damage, but coach Robin Dutt has warned he could be out of Bayer's first game of 2012 against Mainz on 22 January. "It is definitely going to take one or two weeks before Sam is fit again," he told the club's website. "But we have not complained [about injuries] so far so we are not going to start now." Stefan Reinartz was also unable to train today, but he was left out only as a precaution and should be back in action in the next few days.