Borussia Dortmund will field a heavily rotated lineup for their DFB-Pokal first-round match against fifth-tier side HEBC Hamburg. Head coach Niko Kovac confirmed extensive changes for the Tuesday, 1st September fixture at the Volksparkstadion.
The Black and Yellows enter the new season fifth in the Bundesliga table with three points from one game and a goal difference of +2. Their opening weekend 2-0 win over Hamburger SV featured goals from Serhou Guirassy and Giannis Konstantelias. Konstantelias is now sidelined alongside Justin Lerma, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini. The next league fixture is a home match against SC Paderborn 07 on September 12th schedule.
Reserve goalkeeper Alex Meyer will start between the posts instead of first-choice Gregor Kobel. For Meyer, it's a return to familiar surroundings as he hails from the Hamburg region. The deputy keeper had limited appearances last season and now gets his chance to impress in the cup. Kovac stressed the importance of the competition despite the necessary squad rotation.
Alongside Meyer, Joey Veerman and Kaua Prates are set to make their competitive debuts for Borussia Dortmund. Veerman will take on a key role in central midfield, while Prates will support the attack. Academy graduates Luca Reggiani and Filippo Mane will also start the match. These changes are partly forced by several absences. Emre Can is injured, Schlotterbeck is dealing with an ongoing ankle issue, and Bensebaini is very unlikely to feature due to a rib complaint.
A positive note is the full fitness of Samuele Inacio. His recent domestic red-card suspension applies only to Bundesliga matches, making him fully eligible for the cup. This offers some defensive stability despite the missing players. The club's current injury situation can be viewed on the injuries page.
Preparation for the cup tie took place following the 2-0 league opening win. In pre-season, the team lost the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup 2-1 to Bayern Munich but won a friendly against Arsenal 3-2. Kovac used the training week to prepare the rotated squad for the specific challenge. A cup match against a lower-league opponent always carries a risk of an upset, which the coach has addressed with his team.
The match at Volksparkstadion kicks off at 7:45pm BST and will be streamed live via the DFB Play app or a web browser. For Borussia Dortmund, it's the first opportunity this season to pursue the DFB-Pokal. The team aims to continue their positive start to the campaign and avoid a potential surprise. The next competitive fixture after the cup is the Bundesliga home game against SC Paderborn 07 on September 12th.
