Salih Özcan a doubt for Borussia Dortmund’s trip to Köln

Borussia Dortmund may well have to make do without Salih Özcan for this weekend’s Bundesliga clash against FC Köln.

The international break is almost over and Borussia Dortmund return to Bundesliga action this weekend. A tough away game against FC Köln awaits the Black and Yellows, and key midfielder Salih Özcan remains a doubt ahead of the game.

The defensive midfielder has been dealing with a recurrence of the foot problems that forced him to miss the start of the season. He was also forced to withdraw from the Turkey squad as a result. And it remains to be seen if he will be able to recover in time for the game against his former club.

Raphael Guerreiro and Julian Brandt should be available this weekend after returning to training on Tuesday. Guerreiro had been dealing with muscular problems and missed the game against Schalke 04, while Brandt returned from Germany duty early due to an illness.

Kicker report that first-choice goalkeeper Gregor Kobel should also return to training this week. The Swiss shot-stopper has missed Borussia Dortmund’s last four games due to a muscle fibre tear.

Youssoufa Moukoko is also a doubt for this weekend’s trip to Köln after dropping out from the Germany U-21s squad due to a twisted neck. The extent of Moukoko’s injury is currently unclear, although Germany U-21s head coach Antonio di Salvo hinted that the decision was a precautionary one. Marco Reus, Sebastien Haller, Mahmoud Dahoud, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Mateu Morey are all sidelined at the moment.