As the preseason draws to a close, Borussia Dortmund play one last friendly on Saturday against Serie A side AS Roma at the Signal Iduna Park in what's their first match at the home stadium since May 2026.
With the entire squad - well, besides the injury absentees - now back into the fold, head coach Niko Kovac could be looking to field his best XI that we could see him deploy in the upcoming campaign too.
Die Schwarzgelben picked up a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Premier League champions Arsenal in their last game, becoming the first guest team to lift the Emirates Cup since 2019. But in AS Roma, Dortmund face another stern test of their mettle.
Finishing third in Serie A last term on the back of a solid run in the home stretch, the Giallorossi are gearing up for a massive season ahead with the return of Champions League nights to Rome after a gap of seven years.
Although the teams haven't faced each other in competitive games in over 30 years, they have had a few players represent both clubs in recent times. Here's a rundown of each of those three:
1) Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The Armenian playmaker rose to prominence in the European circuit following his eye-catching displays with Borussia Dortmund, whom he joined in 2013. Over the next three years, Mkhitaryan shouldered the creative mantle for the side while also regularly popping up with goals, netting 41 in total. It earned him a move to Premier League, but the forward couldn't replicate his heroics at either Manchester United or Arsenal, following which AS Roma came calling and Mkhitaryan was finally home and hosed again.
2) Donyell Malen
Saturday's fixture marks an emotional homecoming for one of Dortmund's recent strikers, as Donyell Malen is likely to start for AS Roma upfront. His blistering exploits with PSV convinced the BVB to price him away to Westfalonstadion, but the striker could never really live up to the hype the Dutchman built during his time in Eindhoven. Following another disappointing spell with Aston Villa, he joined Roma on loan in January and recaptured his mojo, scoring 14 goals from 18 games to boost their top-four push.
3) Mats Hummels
A man who needs no introduction in Dortmund. Mats Hummels was built his reputation as one of the best defenders during his first spell with the BVB, during which time he lifted numerous trophies under Jurgen Klopp. In 2016, he returned to Bayern Munich but an injury-ravaged spell prompted a quiet return for the prodigal son and Hummels won over the fans again. The former Germany international played out the final season of career in Roma, making 20 appearance during the 2024-25 season before hanging up his boots.
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