Overview
- Coach Niko Kovač said Konstantinos Karetsas trained only partially and will have another session before staff decide if he can join the squad for the trip to Bayern.
- Karetsas suffered a ligament/ankle injury in mid‑October and had earlier collapsed with circulatory problems in September that required hospital treatment, so medical staff are treating his return with caution.
- Kovač reported that the players who started Dortmund’s last game are fit, and the club advanced to the German Cup third round with a 3-2 win over Werder Bremen.
- Dortmund have taken short-term steps to cover attacking depth, including bringing in Ethan Nwaneri, while longer-term absences such as Giannis Konstantelias’s ACL recovery continue to shape selection choices.
- A decision on Karetsas matters for more than one match because his availability will affect Dortmund’s tactical plan for the Klassiker and highlights ongoing tensions over managing young internationals’ workload between club and country.