Dortmund Duo Rested for Villarreal Clash

Borussia Dortmund’s preparations for their Champions League opener against Villarreal came with a minor ripple on Monday – but no real alarm.

Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas sat out full team training, prompting questions on the eve of a major European night. Niko Kovac quickly killed any sense of drama.

“That was completely normal today,” the head coach said at his pre‑match press conference. He explained the pair had been allowed to recover indoors rather than join the main session. “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.”

So Svensson and Karetsas stay in the frame for Tuesday. The real setback lies elsewhere.

Filippo Mané, forced off with a muscle injury during Dortmund’s wild 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend, will miss the Villarreal tie. Kovac stressed the club had managed the defender carefully.

“We're assuming nothing else will happen before the international break. He'll certainly return after that,” Kovac said. “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.”

The bad news doesn’t end there. Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini, both recently back on the pitch in their recovery from injury, are unavailable through suspension for the group-stage opener.

Long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can also remain out, trimming Dortmund’s options just as the Champions League campaign kicks off and the season’s real tests begin to bite.