Report: Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel Doubtful For Chelsea’s Clash
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel remains a doubt ahead of their Champions League round of 16 tie decider against Chelsea, according to Sport Bild.
Edin Terzic’s side will carry their slender 1-0 first-leg win to West London, knowing anything but defeat at Stamford Bridge will guarantee them a place in the quarter-final.
However, the Bundesliga giants could be without their number-one shot-stopper Kobel, who is struggling with a thigh problem.
The 25-year-old complained about a muscular problem during the pre-match warm-up for the game against RB Leipzig on Friday evening.
Backup goalie Alexander Meyer was brought into the starting 11 at the last minute, and the German helped his side to a 2-1 victory on the night.
The former VfB Stuttgart man is now in a race to be fit for Tuesday night’s showdown with Chelsea. Dortmund remain optimistic the Switzerland international will be between the sticks in London.
Kobel will travel with the team on Monday morning, but a final decision will be made on the eve of the game. However, Meyer will also have to travel with the mindset that he will start at the Bridge.
Kobel could prove a vital miss for the Bundesliga joint league leaders, especially as they are also set to be without the protagonist of their first-leg victory, Karim Adeyemi.
Kobel was instrumental in Dortmund’s first-leg win, pulling out an outstanding seven saves to deny Chelsea a goal at Signal Iduna Park.
Der BVB will enter the clash on the back of an astonishing ten consecutive wins, but they will have to be at their best despite Chelsea’s current struggles.
The Blues managed to end their wretched run of form in a slender and uninspiring 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Leeds United last time out, to record just their third victory in 17 games.
However, form tends to go out the window during cup competitions, so Dortmund would be silly to underestimate the struggling Blues, especially with just a one-goal lead.
Under-fire boss Graham Potter will be keen to record successive wins for the first time since his first weeks as Chelsea boss, especially with reports claiming the clash could be key in deciding his long-term future.
