Quintet probably ill: Sahin threatens to be a defensive bottleneck at the start

Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck threaten to miss the first home game of the year against Leverkusen.
IMAGO/Sven Simon

Those who watched Dortmund’s players board the team bus on Friday must have been quite surprised. Not from the actors who got on board, but from those who didn’t. So there is no report from that Ruhr News after Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can, Ramy Bensebaini and also substitute goalkeeper Alexander Meyer. While the former had already been missing during the week due to a flu-like infection, the remaining quartet was now also affected.

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Therefore, Dortmund goes into the opener against Leverkusen (8.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) with a bottleneck in defense. Only Julian Ryerson is still available from the originally planned back four. The situation is particularly precarious in central defense. In addition to Schlotterbeck and Can, who was actually supposed to replace Anton, Niklas Süle is also missing due to injury (syndesmosis).

Is Lührs celebrating his starting eleven debut?

The wave of illness could help U-23 central defender Yannik Lührs make his starting eleven debut with the professionals. The 21-year-old, who moved to BVB from Hanover in 2024, has been used as a joker twice so far this season: in the 1:3 draw in Mainz (kicker rating 3.5) and in the 1:1 draw against Hoffenheim.

Instead, Almugera Kabar cured his infection. The 18-year-old left-back, who had been absent from training due to illness, got on the bus. Despite the personnel problems, he should take a seat on the bench. As a full-back, Sahin, who faces a major personnel puzzle, is likely to rely on Ryerson and Yan Couto.