Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan is likely to miss Borussia Dortmund’s upcoming UEFA Europa League match against Gabala FC in Azerbaijan, reports.

The issue has long been discussed, but now it’s almost certain: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (26) will not fly Wednesday for the match against Gabala in Baku. “The risk for the Armenians is too large,” the club has said.

BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild: “Mkhitaryan will probably be denied boarding. We have the situation checked, and there because of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we have a personal duty to care for our players.”

“The entry would be possible; however, in visa matters it’s always a problem if someone visited Nagorno Karabakh in the recent years. Azerbaijan sees this as a provocation,” Watzke said.