Gilberto blow for Hertha

Hertha Berlin will be without Brazilian midfield star Gilberto for up to three weeks.

The Brazilian international limped off the field during Hertha's 3-0 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, and an MRI scan taken by club doctors revealed damaged ankle ligaments that will probably keep the 29-year-old on the sidelines until November.

"We have got lots of difficult games coming up in the next few weeks so I will do my utmost to get fit as soon as possible," Gilberto told the club's official website, although it is certain that he will miss Thursday's Uefa Cup clash with Halmstads as well as Hertha's next Bundesliga game against Mainz.

Hertha coach Falko Gotz also expressed his disappointment at the team's dismal display at the weekend.

"We could have played for three hours and we still wouldn't have scored.

"My players knew who they should have been covering at Bielefeld's set pieces. At the end of the day it was our opponents' greater will to win that carried them to victory," Gotz acknowledged.

Despite slipping to seventh in the Bundesliga table, Gotz refused to concede that his side were out of the running for a league title challenge.

"We had a bad game, but there are still lots of points to be won. We just have to make sure that we get things right in the future," he commented.