Dortmund Injury Update: Svensson and Karetsas Available for 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 head coach Niko Kovac.

Both players skipped full team training ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Villarreal, yet Kovac made it clear at 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,” he stressed.

So Dortmund’s plans for Villarreal remain intact in those areas. The real setback lies elsewhere.

Mané ruled out, but return date in sight

Filippo Mané will miss the clash after picking up a muscle injury in the 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend, where he was forced off in the first half.

Kovac outlined a relatively optimistic timeline.

“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,” the coach explained.

The message was clear: this was misfortune, not mismanagement.

Defensive options hit by suspension and long-term absences

At the back, Dortmund’s resources are stretched for different reasons. Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini have both made progress in their recoveries from injury, yet neither can feature against Villarreal due to suspension.

They join long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can on the unavailable list, trimming Kovac’s options just as the European campaign kicks off.

Dortmund still head into Tuesday night with key players cleared and confidence steady. Now the question is whether this patched-together group can set the tone for their Champions League season from the very first whistle.