Wednesday, September 20 2006 11:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Berlin: Bundesliga table toppers Hertha Berlin will be without key midfielders Gilberto and Yildiray Basturk for several weeks after they suffered injuries during the 2-0 victory over Schalke 04.

A scan has shown Gilberto sustained a foot ligament injury after being fouled by Schalke's Hamit Altintop during Sunday's (17 Sep, 2006) match. The Brazilian international will be out of action for eight weeks, the club announced Monday (18 Sep, 2006).

Basturk suffered a knee ligament injury during the match and will be sidelined for at least three weeks, the club says.

Hertha's victory over Schalke has put them top of the Bundesliga for the first time for almost six years, with eight points from four matches.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund's Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez is likely to be sidelined for three weeks after a scan Monday (18 Sep, 2006) reveals a torn muscle fibre in his right calf, the club says.

Polish striker Ebi Smolarek in the 1-0 victory over SV Hamburg Saturday (16 Sep, 2006) replaces Valdez at half time.

Arminia Bielefeld has also suffered an injury blow, losing defender Marcio Borges for at least six weeks after a scan Monday (18 Sep, 2006) showed a partial knee ligament tear.

Borges is substituted in the 79th minute of Arminia's 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich Saturday (16 Sep, 2006). He is the third Arminian player after Sibusiso Zuma and Tobia Rau with the same injury.

Eintracht Frankfurt captain Jermaine Jones will meanwhile undergo surgery Tuesday (26 Sep, 2006) to have a plate removed from his shin and is unlikely to play for the rest of the year. Jones has suffered a stress fracture to the shin earlier this year.

However midfielder Alexander Meier and striker Ioannis Amanatidis are likely to return to training this week. Maier has been sidelined with a thigh strain, while Amanatidis had a badly bruised foot.