The majority of the internationals have made a late but healthy – with one exception – return to the club. Head coach Edin Terzic has an almost-full squad to pick from for the home game against Werder Bremen on Friday evening. Youssoufa Moukoko will miss out with a thigh injury.  Marcel Sabitzer, who missed four weeks due to injury, is available for selection once again, as is Ramy Bensebaini, who returns from suspension.

Midfielder Sabitzer made a successful comeback for his homeland of Austria, scoring two goals in two matches to help seal EURO qualification. “Except for Sébastien Haller, all the lads have been in Dortmund since yesterday,” Terzic said on Thursday afternoon, adding: “We’ve seen and checked everyone.” One player unfortunately did not pass the test: Three-goal scorer Youssoufa Moukoko suffered a pulled thigh muscle while playing for the U21 national team. “We hope that he will be able to return to team training after the weekend,” commented Terzic.

Haller is expected to rejoin the group this Thursday afternoon. “We’re expecting him back in the next minutes and hope that he’ll join us on the training pitch today,” explained the coach, continuing: “We’re delighted to be together as a team again after a long time.”

He described the fact that there is only one joint training session left before Friday’s game as a “challenge” and yet notes: “Last time out, before the match in Freiburg, we also had precisely one training session. We’re familiar with this situation. The players are familiar with it, some of them have been internationals for years.”

In the back of their minds, the coaching staff are assessing how intensively and for how long the international players will be used for on Friday. Terzic: “We will decide tomorrow who starts and who finishes the game. Except for Youssoufa Moukoko, everyone has so far signalled they are fit to play.”

He attaches more importance to the fact that his charges will now be in action twice a week, with seven matches in the league, cup and Champions League on the agenda between 20 October and 11 November. “We have seven games in the space of 22 days; every individual is important.” That applies, for example, to Giovanni Reyna, who played “a great game” against Union Berlin, enjoyed success with the US national team and fortunately “has returned without any complaints. He now has to be a little patient. We know about his potential and his quality.”
Boris Rupert