Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has confirmed that Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini are available for their upcoming Bundesliga game against Paderborn.
It's a massive boost for the BVB's defense, who had been running short of centre-backs lately with a spate of injuries and suspensions.
In his latest press conference, Kovac said this about the two defenders:
"They’re fit, healthy, and ready to play this weekend. I can count on both of them."
Schlotterbeck had been nursing an ankle injury for the last three months, sustained early on during Germany's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in June.
Bensebaini was sent off in their German Supercup loss to Bayern Munich on 22 August but had picked up a rib injury in the same game that had sidelined him ever since.
With both first choice centre-backs now available, Dortmund's defense could get tighter, with the stars playing a key role last season whilst also bagging 10 goals between them.
However, Emre Can is still unavailable with a torn ACL, Filippo Mane is out with a muscle injury and will only return after the international break, Giannis Konstantelias faces months out with his unfortunate ACL injury whereas Samuele Inacio will be serving the second of his two-game suspension.
Another player who will be missing in action on Saturday is Konstantinos Karetsas. The Greek gun went down with a circulatory problem less than half an hour into their Villarreal game on Tuesday, although sporting manager Nils-Ole Book revealed he's on the road to recovery.
"He’s doing well under the circumstances. Further tests are underway; we want to get to the bottom of this."
Kovac praises Nwaneri for impressive start
Niko Kovac has reserved loan signing Ethan Nwaneri in high regard after promiding displays off the bench against Hoffenheim and Villarreal.
"He’s integrated really well. He’s a great guy—very calm, down-to-earth, friendly, helpful, and a very good soccer player. In his two brief appearances, he’s shown that he can help us out. I’m very happy with him."
An injury to Giannis Konstantelias forced Dortmund to look into the market on the deadline day, and sneaked away Nwaneri on a season-long loan from Arsenal.
The 19-year-old was struggling for regular gametime under Mikel Arteta and was linked with an exit.
He came off the bench against Hoffenheim on Saturday and forced an own goal from Albian Hajdari that completed the turnaround and won the match for Dortmund.
On Tuesday, Nwaneri made his Champions League debut with the Die Borussen and played 55 minutes, replacing Karetsas in the first half until he was taken off with less than 10 minutes remaining.
He completed 31 of his 34 passes for a 91% completion rate, recovered the ball thrice and attempted six shots in the match, even hitting the woodwork once.
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