KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Germany coach Joachim Loew says Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi could face a lengthy spell out of the game after sustaining a thigh injury in his team's 5-1 World Cup qualifier win over Azerbaijan on Sunday.

Mustafi pulled up suddenly as he attempted to follow Ramil Sheydaev, who went on to score Azerbaijan's goal, and he was unable to continue. He had to be helped off the field.

While Bayern Munich defender Niklas Suele went off earlier as a precaution, Loew says, "I think Mustafi has a muscle tear. It looks a bit more serious. A hamstring injury to a muscle tear, we have to wait for the exact diagnosis, but he'll probably be out for a long time."