BVB announce Champions League squad, tough call on Emre Can | OneFootball

Before the start of the Champions League, the BVB squad has produced a few surprises. Captain Emre Can and two new signings are missing from the league phase.

Borussia Dortmund has finalized its squad for the 2026/27 Champions League season. The A-list includes 24 senior players, while the squad is rounded out by five youth players on the B-list. Most notable is the absence of captain Emre Can, as well as the two new signings Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma.

Can suffered a torn ACL in March and is still working on his comeback. Although a return during the first half of the season remains possible, BVB decided not to register the 32-year-old for the league phase. If Dortmund reaches the next round, the club can adjust its squad again for the knockout stage.

As expected, Konstantelias is also unavailable after his torn ACL. The Greek player, signed from PAOK Thessaloniki in the summer, will be out for several more months. Lerma’s situation is slightly different. The 18-year-old is also dealing with injury problems and, in the view of coach Niko Kovac, still needs time to adapt anyway. “There are language difficulties,” Kovac explained recently. In addition, Lerma is “still a bit slight” physically.

BVB squad for the Champions League: Surprise surrounding Bellingham

Other new signings, meanwhile, can hope for appearances in Europe’s top competition. Konstantinos Karetsas, Joane Gadou, Kauã Prates, Joey Veerman, and Ethan Nwaneri are part of the registered squad. There is also an unusual classification involving Jobe Bellingham: UEFA lists the natural central midfielder as a forward. However, this designation has no effect on his actual position in the team.

Photo: IMAGO

Also included in the Champions League squad via the B-list are Jan Luca Riedl, Miguel Adje, Luca Reggiani, Samuele Inacio, and Mathis Albert.

The reason Dortmund registered only 24 players on the A-list instead of the maximum possible 25 is due to UEFA requirements for locally trained players. BVB lacks a qualifying local player, which means the remaining squad spot cannot be assigned otherwise. To begin the campaign, Niko Kovac’s team will face Villarreal on Tuesday evening (September 8) at 9 p.m.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.