Kovac gives squad update ahead of Dortmund's Champions League opener against Villarreal
| Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images |
Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas weren't involved in Borussia Dortmund’s team training session on Monday.
Despite this, the duo are fit and available for Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opener against Villarreal on Tuesday, head coach Niko Kovac announced 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,” Kovac emphasised.
By contrast, Filippo Mané will miss the game with a muscle injury after he was forced off in the first half of Dortmund’s 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend.
“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,” said Kovac.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini, who have both made progress in their injury recoveries recently, are suspended for the game.
Long-term absentees Giannis Konstantelias and Emre Can are also unavailable.
