Dortmund's only aim is avoiding relegation - Kehl

The midfielder is refusing to dream of a miraculous top-four finish for the Signal Iduna Park club, who were facing shock Bundesliga elimination until recently

Despite sitting 10th in the Bundesliga, Sebastian Kehl insists that Borussia Dortmund's only aim remains avoiding a shock relegation.

Jurgen Klopp's men were rock-bottom of the German top flight a month ago, but an excellent streak of four consecutive wins has seen them rise up the rankings and they are currently nine points off 18th place.

Dortmund are now closer to a Champions League position than bottom, with Bayer Leverkusen sitting just eight points above them in fourth, but BVB skipper Kehl denied that their all-hands-on-deck mentality has ceased in favour of European dreaming ahead of Saturday's visit to Hamburg.

"We lost at home to Hamburg earlier this season and that helped give them a bit of a boost," the veteran midfielder, 35, told Ruhr Nachrichten.

"This time we hope we can be the ones getting three points. We urgently need to reach our goal.

"Nothing's changed on that front. CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and the coaches issued a 40-point target and to avoid relegation. That's all that matters right now."

Although there might be public proclamations of focusing on the relegation fight, in reality Dortmund will have one eye on some form of continental qualification with 11 league games to go.

After this weekend's clash with Hamburg, Dortmund have a clash with Koln a week later before a decisive second-leg in the Champions League last 16 at home to Juventus where they must overturn a 2-1 deficit.