Dortmund Duo Ready for Villarreal Clash Despite Absences

Borussia Dortmund stepped onto the training pitch on Monday without Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas – but there is no drama behind their absence.

Head coach Niko Kovac made it clear at his pre‑match press conference that both players are fully fit and in contention for Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Villarreal.

“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,” Kovac stressed, brushing aside any suggestion of a late fitness scare.

The real setback lies elsewhere.

Filippo Mané, forced off in the first half of Dortmund’s wild 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend, will miss the Villarreal clash with a muscle injury. The timing is cruel, the diagnosis clear.

“We're assuming nothing else will happen before the international break. He'll certainly return after that,” Kovac said. “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.”

So the planning board changes again.

Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini have both taken steps forward in their recoveries, but neither can feature on Tuesday – suspensions rule them out of the group-stage curtain-raiser.

Long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can remain unavailable as well, trimming Kovac’s options for a night when Dortmund’s European ambitions begin to take shape.