Mario Gomez out due to 'hardened buttocks'

Germany forward Mario Gomez has been ruled out of the side's upcoming World Cup qualifiers after suffering an injury to his buttocks.

The 31-year-old had been expected to feature for Joachim Low's side in key matches against the Czech Republic on Saturday and Northern Ireland next Tuesday but will now spend several days on the sidelines before returning to training with domestic club Wolfsburg.

"Mario Gomez must pass on the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic (October 8 in Hamburg) and Northern Ireland (October 11 in Hannover)," said a statement on the Wolfsburg website.

"The Wolves number 33 was forced to pull out of the DFB selection due to hardening of a buttock muscle and will not participate in training for a couple of days."

Gomez has 68 caps for his national side, with 29 goals over the last 10 years.