Dortmund Injury Update Ahead of Villarreal Clash

Borussia Dortmund stepped onto the training pitch on Monday without Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas – but any alarm bells were quickly silenced by Niko Kovac.

Both players skipped full team training ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Villarreal, yet Kovac made it clear in his pre-match press conference that their absence was precautionary, not problematic.

“That was completely normal today. It can happen from time to time that we let one or two players recover in the locker room or in the gym. Both are in perfect health and are options for the game,” the Dortmund coach stressed.

So Svensson and Karetsas stay in the frame for selection. One key name drops out.

Filippo Mané, forced off with a muscle injury during the first half of the dramatic 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend, will miss the Villarreal clash. Kovac outlined a relatively positive timeline for the defender.

“We’re assuming nothing else will happen before the international break. He’ll certainly return after that. Unfortunately, things like this are just part of the game. In terms of training load and training management, everything was top-notch; he had really good endurance and strength numbers,” Kovac said, underlining that the setback did not stem from overuse.

The problems in defence do not end there. Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini, both recently making strides in their respective recoveries, are unavailable on Tuesday as they serve suspensions.

Long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can also remain out of contention, leaving Kovac to juggle his options as Dortmund launch their European campaign with a back line already stretched before a ball has even been kicked.