Dortmund Confirm Svensson and Karetsas Fit for Villarreal Clash

Borussia Dortmund brushed aside any injury scare around Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas on Monday, with Niko Kovac confirming both are fully fit for the club’s Champions League opener against Villarreal.

The pair were conspicuous by their absence from open team training, a detail that usually sends a ripple of concern through supporters on the eve of a major European night. Kovac, though, cut that anxiety short at his pre‑match press conference.

“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,” the head coach stressed.

So while Svensson and Karetsas worked indoors, they remain very much in the frame for Tuesday’s squad. The message was clear: this was load management, not a late crisis.

Mané ruled out, suspensions bite

The real setback lies elsewhere. Filippo Mané will miss the Villarreal clash after the muscle injury that forced him off in the first half of Dortmund’s 3–2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend.

Kovac underlined that the issue is a short-term one and not the result of poor preparation.

“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,” he said.

Dortmund’s defensive options are further thinned by suspension. Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini, both edging back from their own injury problems, are banned for the group-stage opener and cannot be used despite their recent progress.

Long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can also remain unavailable, leaving Kovac to juggle his resources at the back and in midfield on a night when control and concentration will be at a premium.

Even so, with Svensson and Karetsas cleared and Mané expected back after the international break, Dortmund head into Europe balancing risk and optimism — a familiar equation for a club that expects to do more than just make up the numbers in this Champions League campaign.