It remains to be seen if Axel Witsel will be in the starting lineup on Saturday night when Borussia Dortmund welcome Bayern Munich in the derby and win the championship. Although Judd Bellingham is threatened with another failure, coach Marco Rose could also pick a midfield position without the veteran Belgian, with Mo Daoud in the six and Emre Can and Julian Brandt in half of the diamond positions.

The future of Witsel remains open as well, who, according to no less than a few observers, will not be in Dortmund after the current contract expires on June 30, 2022 at the latest. There is even speculation that the 33-year-old may turn his back on BVB in January. Two clubs, Juventus Turin and Newcastle United, are said to be considering the national player’s winter commitment 120 times, while Real Madrid’s interest, which has been murky so far, will not apply until next summer.

Five competitive matches until Christmas

Despite these rumors that have been circulating for weeks, Witsel himself has not made any decision and told CNN that no decision has yet been made. “I don’t know what will happen next. I focus more on the present, the here and now, because that’s what matters,” said the midfielder, who initially wants to play the matches that didn’t come before Christmas.

Then we will see what the future holds. “I think it is best now to look from game to game,” Witsel said, stressing that he is focusing entirely on the five BVB matches that remain in 2021.