Final say before HSV clash: Kovac gives unhappy Silva joker role | OneFootball

It’s starting again. Borussia Dortmund host Hamburger SV on Saturday (August 29, 6:30 p.m.) in the opening match of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. “You still have nothing to compare yourself against: Where do you stand? Where are you?” Niko Kovac (54) knows from experience.

“Preseason went well,” the BVB coach praised his squad on Thursday at the press conference ahead of the HSV match. But Kovac also issued a warning: “That doesn’t mean the first Bundesliga game will take care of itself.”

In terms of personnel, Dortmund’s head coach can almost draw from a full squad. The only absentees remain long-term injured pair Emre Can (32) and Nico Schlotterbeck (26). Ramy Bensebaini (31) is the “only concern,” Kovac reported, according to Ruhr24. In the Franz Beckenbauer Cup clash against Bayern Munich (1:2) last Saturday, Waldemar Anton (30) accidentally wiped out his teammate. “He took quite a heavy hit to the liver or rather the ribs against Bayern,” the coach said, providing a medical update.

“Face the competition”

Without Can, Schlotterbeck and perhaps Bensebaini as well, it won’t be easy for Kovac to fill the center of defense. Of last season’s regular starters, only Anton is fit. “Of course, when you play with a back three, you need one more defender,” the 54-year-old pointed out, addressing the dilemma and commenting on the chances of Joane Gadou (19) and Filippo Mane (21) featuring. “We’re happy with Gadou, Mane has made a very good leap,” the BVB coach said in praise of the two youngsters.

But Kovac is not giving much away. “Every single one of them has the chance to be in the starting eleven,” he said vaguely, because: “We have many good to very good players.”

Photo: IMAGO

Fábio Silva (24) is considered a possible transfer candidate. The striker usually comes on as a substitute, a role the Portuguese forward does not like. Rumors keep resurfacing that he could still leave BVB this summer. “He is part of the team, he knows the importance of his role,” Kovac said about the current situation. Silva knows “very well that Serhou Guirassy is our number one striker.” The head coach made it crystal clear: “He is the challenger, and Guirassy is our number one striker.”

Kovac’s message to his players does not apply only to Silva: “We have a good squad, we have two and in some cases three players for each position. The boys have to face the competition.”

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