Henrikh Mkhitaryan Left out of Dortmund Squad Due to Armenia, Azerbaijan Concern

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss Borussia Dortmund's Thursday Europa League clash with Azerbaijani club Gabala because of security concerns.

It was previously reported that Armenian midfielder Mkhitaryan was likely to not travel for the match because "of an ongoing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan," per Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has now confirmed that the 26-year-old is not part of the Bundesliga club's squad for the match in Azerbaijan capital Baku, per ArmenPress.

Mkhitaryan has been a key part of Thomas Tuchel's side so far this season, starting eight of nine Bundesliga matches and both of their Europa League group games, per WhoScored.com.

He will be a big loss for Dortmund, but it has clearly been decided that it was not worth taking any risks considering the political relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Borussia are currently sitting top of Group C having taken four points from their opening two matches—a home win over Krasnodar preceded an away draw with PAOK.

Conversely, Gabala sit bottom of the group having picked up only one point from their first two games thanks to a goalless draw at home with PAOK.

Given the strength and depth in Dortmund's squad, they should be able to cope without Mkhitaryan, but they will miss the 26-year-old's versatility and creativity in attack.

Tuchel's side have lost only once so far this season—to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga—and, despite the unfamiliar surroundings in Baku, they remain heavy favourites to pick up a win against Gabala.