Niko Kovac said Borussia Dortmund go into Union Berlin Vs Dortmund with a full squad to choose from, after Nico Schlotterbeck returned to the group for today’s Bundesliga trip to Stadion An der Alten Frosterei. The defender is back in the frame after being rested in Norway on Wednesday and managed carefully after another injury last month.
That matters because Dortmund’s selection picture has changed quickly in the space of a few days, and the visit to Berlin comes immediately after a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen, when a two-goal lead disappeared in the final seven minutes. Kovac’s update gives him more options, but it does not erase the absences of Emre Can, Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma.
Kovac was clear that Schlotterbeck is ready again, saying everyone in the group is in good shape and that every player present has a right to play. He added that the club will take a close look at who has recovered well, who is fresh and who is ready for the challenge before deciding who starts. That leaves the central question for Dortmund unchanged: who gets the nod at the back in a match that can be shaped by a single selection call.
The backdrop is encouraging for Dortmund. They have won their last three meetings with Union Berlin, scoring 12 goals and conceding none, and they have 10 wins from 14 league clashes overall. But the record away from home is less comfortable, with all four of Dortmund’s defeats in the fixture coming on Union’s ground, including the last one in 2024.
Union Berlin’s own form adds another layer. They finished 11th last season but have only one win from their opening five games this time, and their most recent victory came on 10 October against Elversberg. Dortmund arrive with the stronger numbers, yet the late collapse against Werder Bremen and the careful handling of Schlotterbeck show that this is not a team moving through the fixture without complications. The answer now is not whether Dortmund have options. It is which ones Kovac trusts from the first whistle.
