BVB respond ahead of the Champions League: Özcan and top talent called up | OneFootball

Before the Champions League play-offs, Borussia Dortmund draws attention with two additional nominations. Alongside Salih Özcan, a young talent surprisingly joins the elite squad.

Borussia Dortmund has finalized its squad planning for the Champions League and officially announced two personnel decisions. BVB takes advantage of the opportunity for additional nominations and includes Salih Özcan and the only 17-year-old Samuele Inacio in the competition squad for the upcoming play-off matches against Atalanta Bergamo. Both players are thus eligible not only for the first and second legs but also for all further rounds of the current Champions League season.

The additional nomination of Özcan had already been hinted at in recent days. Coach Niko Kovac confirmed the decision before the Bundesliga away game in Wolfsburg with the words: "Yes, we will do that." The background is the changed personnel situation in central midfield. After the departure of Pascal Groß and the injury of Marcel Sabitzer, Özcan is expected to play a significantly larger role in the second half of the season. In recent Bundesliga games, the Turkish national player has already been used again as a substitute.

Surprise before Atalanta: BVB nominates Özcan and Inacio

In contrast, the nomination of Inacio is more surprising. The Italian U19 player had recommended himself for higher tasks during the winter preparation and already in the training camp in Marbella. Kovac recently made it clear that the youngster had suffered from the competition so far: "He is certainly a player who has come up short this season due to the competitive situation."

At the same time, the BVB coach left no doubt that this could change: "I can very well imagine and think that he will receive significantly more playing opportunities in the future than in the first phase of the season." Inacio has been regularly training with the professionals for some time. This also reinforces the impression that Kovac is increasingly relying on Dortmund's youth in training. This development is favored not least by the thinner squad in winter.

For BVB, the double nomination means more flexibility above all. When it comes to advancing to the round of 16 on February 17th at Signal Iduna Park and on February 25th in Bergamo, Dortmund has additional options both in midfield and in the squad's depth.

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