Borussia Dortmund - injuries & suspensions October 2026

Borussia Dortmund: 2026/27 season preview

Borussia begin the 2026/2027 season after finishing second in the previous campaign. Niko Kovač will lead the team again. In his first full season in charge, he led BVB to a marked improvement in results. Borussia earned 17 more points than the year before. The goal this season is to maintain that progress and close the gap on Bayern. Last season, Bayern finished a full 16 points ahead of Dortmund.

A return to youth

Borussia made a clear move towards youth in the summer. New sporting director Ole Book, formerly of Elversberg, focused mainly on players with significant room to develop. Among those to arrive in Dortmund were 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk and Joane Gadou from Red Bull Salzburg. Justin Lerma and Kauã Prates also joined.

The signing of Giannis Konstantelias has generated the greatest expectations. The 23-year-old Greece international joined from PAOK after a season in which he scored 14 goals and provided 9 assists in 40 matches. He is expected to add more creativity to the attack and help break down deep-lying defences.

Joey Veerman has also strengthened the midfield. The 27-year-old Dutchman joined Borussia from PSV Eindhoven and signed a contract until June 2031. He is a playmaker with good vision who can dictate the tempo of a game. Last season, he scored eight goals and registered 15 assists in 41 matches for PSV.

Important departures

The rebuild also meant saying goodbye to several players who had played important roles in recent seasons. After four years in Dortmund, Karim Adeyemi moved to Barcelona. Julian Brandt also left the club when his contract expired. The team also lost, among others, Salih Özcan, Yan Couto and Cole Campbell.

At the same time, Borussia kept Serhou Guirassy, who remains the team’s main striker. Another important step was extending Felix Nmecha’s contract until 2030. The German enjoyed an excellent season and became one of the most important players in midfield.

Nmecha leads the midfield

Nmecha is one of the key players in Kovač’s side. The midfielder is responsible for setting the tempo, defensive work and quickly transitioning from defence to attack. Joey Veerman, Jobe Bellingham, Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer will also compete for places in midfield. Veerman arrived from PSV Eindhoven and is expected to help the team move the ball more effectively.

The new Greek arrivals are expected to play an important role in attack. Karetsas and Konstantelias could operate behind Guirassy. Maximilian Beier and Fabio Silva will also compete for places up front. Borussia have therefore retained several experienced players while giving younger ones more opportunities.

More opportunities for young players

The change in transfer strategy does not mean a complete break with the existing squad. Gregor Kobel, Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson remain in defence. Some players had fitness problems at the start of the season, limiting their availability. Gadou and Kauã Prates have joined the competition for places at the back.

Borussia now have a larger group of young players, who can gradually take on more responsibility. Karetsas is a good example. At just 18, he signed a long-term contract until 2031. The club hopes that, as in previous years, young players will quickly become an important part of the first team.

Kovač faces another test

Dortmund are therefore beginning Kovač’s second season with a revamped squad and a clear shift towards younger signings. The team have kept their experienced leaders while bringing in several players who are expected to be important not only now but in the years to come. The biggest challenge remains turning that potential into a consistent challenge to Bayern. They must also maintain the level that saw Borussia finish second last season.