Borussia Dortmund head into the 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign this weeked as one of the most exciting teams to watch.
Die Borussen, who secured a runners-up finish in the competition last term, saw some old guards leave the Signal Iduna Park but replaced them with young and exciting new signings.
Head coach Niko Kovac will take charge of his second full-season with the club, aiming to build on the success of last season.
The BVB conceded the least number of goals in the German top-flight, scored the most behind only champions Bayern Munich, and finished with most points in seven years.
As the side aims to launch another bid at their first Meisterschale since 2012 with the season opener on Saturday against Hamburg, here's a detailed preview:
The pre-season
Borussia Dortmund had an unusually long pre-season, indulging in six friendly games across 28 days. It started with a pair of low-profile friendlies against teams from lower divisions of Germany football, namely RW Oberhausen and Fortuna Dusseldorf, before flying to Japan.
Cerezo Osaka beat them 1-0 but the Prussians recovered to prevail over FC Tokyo by the same scoreline. Premier League champions Arsenal were up next and Dortmund pulled off a real shocker there with a 3-2 win in London, before fighting back from two goals down to draw AS Roma 2-2 in their last friendly match.
It's worth noting that Dortmund were without their many of their first-team stars for the preseason, especially those that were involved in the World Cup. But many young guns made a solid impression, such as Samuele Inacio and new signing Konstantinos Karetsas, who even scored a fabulous goal on his debut against Arsenal.
The new signings
This has to be one of the most exciting transfer windows we've seen from Dortmund in a while. The club saw old guards such as Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi leave, but effectively filled the void with young arrivals.
Greek guns Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias will give the BVB a new dimension to the offensive vanguard with their formidable attacking skillset while €22million-acquisition from PSV Eindhoven Joey Veerman is the new anchorman in midfield.
Joane Gadou, arriving from Red Bull Salzburg, has already made a good impression in defense, while Justin Lerma and Kaua Prates were signed from Independiente del Valle and Cruzeiro respectively. Takato Yamamoto is another promising young gun on the books, signed for a meager €1.5million from Gamba Osaka but will be continuing his development with the youth side and won't join the senior team instantly.
Predicted starting lineup
Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can remain sidelined for now, so Niko Kovac will be forced to make a few changes to his XI. Gadou has made a strong case for himself in defense, and should be a regular starter alongside Waldemar Anton and Ramy Bensebaini.
Daniel Svensson and Julian Ryerson are indispensable as the full-backs, though Kovac has switched their positions this season, playing the Swede on the right side of midfield and his Norwegian counterpart on the left.
The central defense is currently nailed down by Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha, which means Veerman will have to fight for his place in the XI. Given the hefty outlay that BVB made for him, it's unlikely that he'd just be a bench-warmer as Kovac would look to integrate into his tactical system somehow.
Playing off lone striker Serhou Guirassy, who was also linked with an exit during the summer but stayed put after no concrete offer arrived, will be the two new Greek starlets, Karetsas and Konstantelias.
Both have seemed promising so far. Fans got to see them in action together in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup loss to Bayern Munich on Saturday, and the young guns made a solid impression with their movements, eye for pass and burst of pace.
Probable Starting Lineup: Gregor Kobel; Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini; Daniel Svensson, Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, Julian Ryerson; Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas; Serhou Guirassy.
The prediction
Borussia Dortmund certainly have greater depth and stronger bench strength this season than the last, which gives them greater flexibility to navigate another long and challenging top-flight campaign.
With the quality in their ranks now, one can see them pushing the holders Bayern all the way again, but can Dortmund actually usurp them to become German champions again?
It's difficult to say at this point, although this season has all the potential to become one of Dortmund's best in recent years. Exciting times ahead.
Add us as a preferred source on Google