Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has given a timely update on the squad ahead of their Champions League opener against Villarreal on Tuesday.
The BVB welcome the Yellow Submarine back to Signal Iduna Park almost a year on from their first ever competitive meeting that resulted in a lopsided 4-0 victory for the former.
Coming into tonight's clash on the back of three consecutive wins in all competitions, Dortmund are favorites to prevail again but have their task cut out without a key defender.
Filippo Mane went off in the Hoffenheim game on Saturday with a knock, deeping their injury woes. The centre-back was later diagnosed with a muscle injury.
He was doubtful for tonight's clash but Niko Kovac has now offered an update and fans won't be too happy to know that Mane will be missing in action for tonight's Champions League opener too.
"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."
Mane joined Dortmund's academy in 2024 at 19 years of age before breaking into their senior team last season to make six appearances, including four in the Bundesliga.
His game intelligence coupled with physical style of play impressed the club, as the young gun was set for bigger things in 2026-27 season; Mane had already played thrice in this season too.
Kovac further offered a word of encouragement for the player, saying he'd return from the injury stronger:
"He’ll get through this too, and it will make him stronger again!"
Svensson and Karetsas in fine fettle
Dortmund manager Kovac further commented on Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas, neither of whom were at the training on Monday. It sparked injury rumors but he's now confirmed that it was merely a part of workload management.
"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."
Running short on centre-backs, Kovac played Svensson in the back-three on Saturday against Hoffenheim and could deploy him there once more tonight. Karetsas is set for his Champions League debut with the BVB and is likely to start as one of the two attacking midfielders behind striker Serhou Guirassy.
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