Kobel and Guirassy out: Kovac shakes up BVB side in Hamburg | OneFootball

Niko Kovac is making major changes to his starting lineup for the cup opener. Against HEBC Hamburg, Serhou Guirassy is among those who will begin on the bench.

Borussia Dortmund get their DFB-Pokal campaign underway on Tuesday evening. In the first round, BVB will face Oberliga side HEBC Hamburg. Kick-off at the Volksparkstadion is at 8:45 p.m. Head coach Niko Kovac is using the clash with the fifth-tier side to make numerous changes to his starting eleven.

In total, Kovac makes seven changes compared to the 2-0 win over Hamburger SV. Among them, Alexander Meyer gets the nod in goal ahead of first-choice keeper Gregor Kobel. The BVB coach had already announced that decision beforehand. “I’m still keeping everything else open,” Kovac initially said with regard to further personnel changes.

Serhou Guirassy is also being given a rest and will start on the bench. Fabio Silva will lead the line from the outset instead. Filippo Mane, Joey Veerman, Marcel Sabitzer, Samuele Inacio and Mathis Albert also come into the team. Along with Kobel and Guirassy, Joane Gadou, Jobe Bellingham, Maximilian Beier and Konstantinos Karetsas are also not in the starting lineup. Giannis Konstantelias is unavailable through injury after suffering a torn ACL. Ramy Bensebaini is also unavailable due to his Supercup suspension.

Seven changes: How BVB line up against HEBC Hamburg

Despite the clear difference in status, Kovac has warned against underestimating the Oberliga side. “There is always a danger of underestimating the opponent,” the 54-year-old said ahead of the match. BVB have had HEBC watched two or three times and are expecting an opponent that will defend deep and look to threaten mainly through counter-attacks and set pieces.

Photo: IMAGO

The crowd is expected to create a special atmosphere. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the match at the Volksparkstadion. Due to the strong interest from spectators, the game is not being played at HEBC’s actual home ground. Kovac does not see that as a disadvantage for the favorites: “A big stadium helps the top-flight team more than the fifth-division team.”

HEBC Hamburg lineup: Schoon – Köhler, Oldag, Nawaz, Wrede, Schick, Eggers, Lemke, Stegemann, von Zitzewitz, Grünewald

Borussia Dortmund lineup: Meyer – Mane, Anton, Svensson – Ryerson, Veerman, Nmecha, Albert – Inacio, Sabitzer – Silva.BVB bench: Drewes – Prates, Gadou, Reggiani, Bellingham, Chukwuemeka, Karetsas, Guirassy, Beier

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