Illness threatens to sideline Borussia Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel ahead of Bundesliga restart | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund look to be without keeper Gregor Kobel when they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2026 Bundesliga re-start. Kicker and a host of other German footballing media sources confirm that the BVB No.1 has departed Dortmund’s January mini-camp in Marbella, Spain early with illness. Kobel has started and played the full 90 minutes in all 24 Dortmund competitive fixtures thus far this year. 

BVB back-up keeper Alexander Meyer has plenty of Bundesliga experience, but remains in line for a very “cold start” unless Kobel can recover in time for Friday’s fixture at Deutsche Bank Park. Meyer last contested a league fixture on November 11th, 2024. In his 17th overall Bundesliga appearances, Meyer conceded three goals in a 3-1 away defeat.

Gregor Kobel is in the form of his life this season

While Dortmund continue to struggle with their ups-and-downs, Kobel stands tall as one of the most consistent members of Niko Kovac’s squad. The 28-year-old tops the Kicker keeper rankings this year thanks to eight clean sheets and an incredibly low 12 goals conceded over the course of 15 Bundesliga rounds. Kobel also boasts a 75.5% save rate; by far the highest among regular Bundesliga starting keepers.

Kobel conceded only two goals in three DFB Pokal fixtures and repeatedly sparkled in the Champions League. The Swiss international’s blistering form led to him receiving nine caps for country in the 2025 calendar year. In this season, his fifth as a BVB professional, Kobel has managed to remain injury free for the very first time since joining die Schwarzgelben.

GGFN | Peter Weis