Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was unsure whether his first-choice goalkeeper Gregor Kobel could feature in the second leg against Chelsea on Tuesday.
Karim Adeyemi and his blistering pace which led to his goal stole the limelight when Dortmund beat Chelsea at home in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie last month.
But Kobel’s display was arguably just as important for the German side.
The Swiss goalkeeper made seven saves in total in that game, with four of them from inside the box.
Unfortunately for Dortmund, they could be without Adeyemi and Kobel for their visit to Stamford Bridge this week.
Adeyemi is nursing a hamstring injury, while the latter picked up a potential thigh injury during the warm-ups ahead of Dortmund’s match against Leipzig this weekend.
The absence even surprised Terzic who initially named the goalkeeper in his starting line-up.
“I honestly didn’t even notice, because when that happened I was with you,” the Dortmund boss told DAZN (via Spox) when asked about Kobel’s surprise absence at the weekend.
“On the way to the players’ tunnel, I was told that Greg felt some problems in the back of his thigh.
Asked about Kobel’s potential return against Chelsea, Terzic said: “We have to wait, and we want to have an accurate diagnosis.”
Adeyemi and Kobel are not the only key Dortmund players expected to miss the game, since young striker Youssoufa Moukoko is still out with an ankle injury.
In addition to that, Julian Ryerson is also out due to suspension.
Similarly, Chelsea will also have to deal with several key absences, including Mason Mount who picked up his third yellow card in the first leg and, therefore, is suspended for the match.
Thiago Silva’s expected absence is arguably the biggest blow to Graham Potter’s side.
Reece James also missed their last game against Leeds United, and it remains unclear whether the defender will be available on Tuesday.
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