Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has offered an encouraging update on Carney Chukwuemeka and Enzo Duarte after both players went off injured during their clash with FC Tokyo on Saturday.
The BVB wrapped up their tour of Japan with a narrow 1-0 win as Fabio Silva's 54th-minute strike was enough to down their toothless hosts while also welcoming back many of their World Cup stars for the first time this preseason.
Having lost 1-0 to Cerezo Osaka in their first game of the BVB Evonik Japan Tour, which came on the back of another defeat to Fortuna Dusseldorf, Niko Kovac's side really had a point to prove here as their campaign threatened to go off the rails.
However, disaster struck in just the 23rd minute as Chukwuemeka went down after an awkward collission with an opponent and had to be replaced by Takato Yamamoto. The Austrian, who reached the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Das Team, saw his maiden pre-season match ended prematurely.
There was more misery to follow for Dortmund after the break though, as substitute Enzo Duarte, who has replaced another returnee Felix Nmecha at the start of the second half, also had went off with a niggle as summer signing Justin Lerma came on for him.
Kovac, though, tried to allay all fears by revealing that neither's condition is serious as of now although he emphasized that further tests would reveal the true extent of their injuries. Speaking to the press after the game, the Croatian said:
""Carney – just like Enzo Duarte – has a bruised knee; Enzo collided with an opponent. Carney, on the other hand, injured himself when he fell and got caught up. That’s when he bruised his knee. I don’t think it’ll be too serious. We’re flying home tomorrow and will have it examined over the next day or two. Then we’ll know more.""
The injury marks a fresh blow for Chukwuemeka, who has struggled with quite a few bouts since joining Borussia Dortmund from Chelsea in 2025.
Earlier on, it was revealed that the 22-year-old midfielder had been working on his fitness after Kovac had asked Chukwuemeka to bulk up. But the injury now suggests he's still some way off from attaining peak fitness.
As for Duarte, the young gun has made a positive impact in the pre-season with his attacking effervescence and fans will hope he's back into the squad ahead for their next game.
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