David Alaba out for 'several weeks' with MCL tear, will require surgery

The full extent of David Alaba's knee injury was revealed on Thursday, and it's not good news for the Bayern Munich left-back.

Alaba suffered the injury in the closing minutes of Bayern's 2-0 Champions League win over Roma, and while the German club have more than enough depth to cover his absence, that depth is growing increasingly thinner by the day.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez, Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Thomas Badstuber, Claudio Pizarro, and 'keepers Pepe Reina and Tom Starke are all sidelined with a myriad of injuries. But because this is Bayern - arguably the most impressive club in European football at the moment - there's no need to panic.

After all, even without Alaba, Bayern are still able to deploy a backline that includes the likes of Jerome Boateng, Medhi Benatia, Juan Bernat, and Sebastian Rode, who replaced Alaba against Roma on Wednesday. Jealous, Borussia Dortmund?

For Austria, meanwhile, Alaba's injury will come as a far bigger blow. Marcel Koller's side host Russia in Euro 2016 qualifying on Nov. 15, a match between the two top teams in Group E, which will allow Austria to separate themselves from the rest of the group with a win.