Borussia Dortmund suffered a major injury blow as Giannis Konstantelias tore his cruciate ligament, with time running short for potential transfers before the window closes. The incident overshadows preparations for Tuesday's DFB-Pokal match in Hamburg and occurs against the backdrop of the current Bundesliga season, where BVB sits 5th with 3 points from one game and a positive goal difference of +2.
The 23-year-old forward, signed for 26 million euros from PAOK Saloniki in the summer, sustained the serious injury in the 51st minute of a match. Manager Niko Kovac stated, "Delias will not be available to us for an uncertain period." He described the incident as a shock for everyone. Konstantelias himself expressed belief he would return stronger from rehabilitation. He now joins a list of sidelined players that includes Justin Lerma, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini.
With the transfer window closing on Tuesday, big names are circulating in connection with Borussia Dortmund. Jadon Sancho, currently without a club, and Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade have been linked with BVB. These speculations are being handled by sporting directors Lars Ricken and Ole Book, who will remain in Dortmund to work rather than travel to the cup match in Hamburg. The concrete search for reinforcements is complicated by the tight timeframe.
For the DFB-Pokal match against the fifth-tier side from the Hamburg Oberliga, manager Kovac must improvise. A back three of Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton and Daniel Svensson is expected, as both Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can are out with ligament injuries. In midfield, Marcel Sabitzer, Carney Chukwuemeka, Joey Veerman, Maximilian Beier and Samuele Inacio are potential options, though Inacio is suspended due to a red card and may only feature in the cup. Striker Fabio Silva, dissatisfied with his role as a second striker, is considered by Kovac to be better suited as a central partner for Serhou Guirassy rather than in an attacking midfield role.
The cup match kicks off a demanding sequence that includes a Bundesliga game against TSG Hoffenheim and a Champions League clash with FC Villarreal. The team must manage the personnel shortages while aiming to keep pace at the top of the league. The current league standing and upcoming tasks can be viewed on our fixtures page. An interesting subplot could be the appearance of HSV scout Janek Wrede and HSV team manager Robert Schick, who both play amateur football for HEBC. Kovac noted, "On Saturday they were still at our stadium and now they are playing against us."
The match at the Volksparkstadion in front of over 40,000 spectators is a challenge but also an opportunity for the squad players. Immediately afterwards, the Bundesliga away game at 12th-placed 1899 Hoffenheim awaits on 5 September 2026, as confirmed by the current fixtures schedule.
