Sebastian Kehl: We want to seal Champions League qualification as quickly as possible

Sebastian Kehl has said that Borussia Dortmund’s goal now is to seal UEFA Champions League qualification as soon as possible and also to improve the mood around the club.

It is fair to say that this season hasn’t gone according to plan for Borussia Dortmund. The Black and Yellows have already been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the DFB-Pokal. And their bid to win the Bundesliga title also appears to be all but over, with Bayern Munich eight points clear.

With ten games to go until the end of the season, Borussia Dortmund do not have a whole lot left to play for.

But Sebastian Kehl wants the players to keep their foot on the pedal in the upcoming games and ensure that qualification to the UEFA Champions League is secured as soon as possible. The future BVB sporting director also wants to improve the atmosphere at the club, which has been affected as a result of the disappointing results in recent weeks.

"“The expectations at this club are very clear,” Kehl told WAZ. “We want to make sure that we qualify for the Champions League as quickly as possible. Second place is the goal.”“We can accept a little disappointment, but now we have to work in a very targeted and focused way to create a better atmosphere – also for the club and our fans.”"

Borussia Dortmund are currently second in the Bundesliga standings, six points clear of third placed Bayer Leverkusen. They are also ten points ahead of SC Freiburg, who occupy fifth place at the moment. So unless things go badly wrong in the next few weeks, they should be able to qualify for the Champions League fairly comfortably.

Borussia Dortmund have won only one of their last four games, and the pressure is on Marco Rose and his players to get things right quickly. Next up for them is a trip to Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Sunday.