Borussia Dortmund have opted to include Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi over Swiss defender Manuel Akanji in their Europa League squad for the knockout stages of the tournament. The rules of the tournament meant that manager Peter Stoger had to effectively chose between his two winter signings- a club can nominate only ONE player who has played a previous European Cup game (CL/EL) for another side (Batshuayi for Chelsea and Akanji for Basel in this case) in the same season.
BVB have therefore opted for Batshuayi, who joined them on loan from Chelsea as part of the deal that saw Aubameyang go to Arsenal and Olivier Giroud go to Stamford Bridge.
Stoger’s decision might have been influenced by BVB’s greater depth in defence- Dortmund have the likes of Sokratis, Toprak and Zagadou available to deputise for Akanji, while their striking options are more limited.
Dortmund will face Italian outfit Atalanta in the knockout stages of the EL, with both ties to be played later this month.
The decision will come as a disappointment to Akanji, who would’ve been playing Man City in the Champions League had he stayed with Basel. The Swiss outfit finished second in their group but Dortmund, who were drawn in a group of death alongside Spurs and Real Madrid, could not make it to the round of 16.