Gregor Kobel has pulled out of the Switzerland squad, while Sebastien Haller is closing in on his comeback after returning to team training.
There is mixed news on the injury front for Borussia Dortmund going into the international break. The Black and Yellows had to make do without Gregor Kobel for last weekend’s home game against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. And the goalkeeper has now dropped out of the Switzerland squad ahead of their friendly matches against Denmark and Ireland.
The Switzerland football federation announced earlier on Wednesday that the decision was made as a precautionary measure in order to avoid taking risks with the goalkeeper’s fitness following his recent return from injury. The hope will be that Kobel can be fully fit and available in time for Borussia Dortmund’s crunch clash against Bayern Munich in two weeks’ time.
Edin Terzic’s side could also be boosted by the return of Sebastien Haller for the trip to Bavaria, with the striker taking part in parts of team training on Wednesday. Haller had a flare up of his ankle injury during the Africa Cup of Nations final, and has been sidelined ever since. The club will likely look to slowly reintegrate him back into team training, ahead of his return to Bundesliga action.
The potential return of Haller would further boost the Borussia Dortmund attack going into the business end of the season. He is likely to compete with Niclas Füllkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko for a spot in the starting XI.