Borussia Dortmund faces two significant squad changes ahead of their Friday evening away match against FC Augsburg.
Key defender Nico Schlotterbeck will surprisingly not travel with the team. The German international is sidelined with a mild cold and is also being given a precautionary rest. The decision follows a heavy workload for Schlotterbeck, who has played nearly every full match since returning from a six-month layoff due to a torn meniscus. Most recently, he completed 120 minutes in Tuesday’s DFB-Pokal win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Head coach Niko Kovač must now reorganize his defense, as backup defender Niklas Süle is also unavailable with what Kovač described as a “swollen toe.” In their absence, Ramy Bensebaini, now recovered from a back complaint, is expected to complete a back-three formation alongside Chelsea loanee Aarón Anselmino and Waldemar Anton.
In more positive news for Dortmund, captain Emre Can returns to the squad for the first time in months. Can has been out since the end of last season with a severe adductor injury, which also saw him miss the Club World Cup. Although Kovač confirmed Can has made significant progress, his minutes will be carefully managed as he is gradually reintegrated, and he is included primarily as an emergency defensive option for the Augsburg match.
Commenting on the upcoming fixture against Sandro Wagner’s team, Kovač said, “They are a Bundesliga team with an immense amount of quality. We need to be 120 percent focused. We are only looking at ourselves; we want to execute our game plan and win.”
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