The Weekly Borussia Dortmund Digest

Black, yellow and every story in between

Bundesliga: 2nd, 18 pts (level with leaders Bayern on points, behind on goal difference) · Last ten, oldest first

Next: Real Betis (H), Champions League, today 12:00 PM PT

The back four that held Munich now meets Betis and their perfect record

Niko Kovac's surprise reshuffle earned a point at the Allianz Arena. Tonight's Champions League visit of Real Betis will test whether it was a one-night trick or a new way of playing.

Nobody in Munich saw it coming, and that was the point. The team sheet Borussia Dortmund handed in at the Allianz Arena on Saturday looked like the usual three-man defence. It was not. "That was not it, we played with a back four from the start," Niko Kovac explained afterwards, as reported by Sport1.

The result was a 2-2 draw that kept Dortmund level with Bayern Munich on 18 points after eight unbeaten games, Bayern staying top only on goal difference. Serhou Guirassy cancelled out Konrad Laimer's 38th-minute opener on the hour, Dayot Upamecano restored Bayern's lead six minutes later, and substitute Fábio Silva drove in an 89th-minute equaliser, per the official match report.

The detail that matters for tonight is how Kovac got there. According to captain Nico Schlotterbeck, the coach called him and Waldemar Anton in beforehand and asked how they felt about a back four, a shape Schlotterbeck said Dortmund had not used in about a year and a half. Joane Gadou played right-back for the first time, facing Serge Gnabry and then Alphonso Davies.

Why it worked, and what it cost

Kovac's reasoning was about pressing, not caution. "We attacked Bayern much higher, and that gave us an extra player in midfield," he said. Joey Veerman sat alone at the base, which freed Jobe Bellingham and Carney Chukwuemeka to jump onto Bayern's build-up. The equaliser came straight from that plan: Schlotterbeck won the ball high, Chukwuemeka found Guirassy, and the striker finished low.

It was not a smash-and-grab without risk. Bayern created far more: ESPN puts the expected-goals count at 4.18 to 0.63, and the hosts hit the frame several times. The worst moment was Dortmund's own: Felix Nmecha handled a Harry Kane shot in the 56th minute, and Kane's penalty came back off the crossbar. Kobel, given Dortmund's best mark by the Ruhr Nachrichten, made the saves that kept it close.

From Munich to Betis

Analysis at BVB-WLD argues the new shape has a future because it spreads players more evenly across the wide areas and stops Maximilian Beier being stretched as a wing-back. Kovac himself is keeping his options open. "It is not definite that we will always do it this way, but it is not definite that we won't try it again," he said before tonight's game, as quoted by Mucho Deporte.

That is the selection question against Real Betis. Manuel Pellegrini's side like the ball, and Kovac's instruction was blunt: "We have to do exactly the opposite of what they want us to do." A high-pressing back four would ask the same question of Betis's double pivot that it asked of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic. The predicted line-ups at The Hard Tackle and FútbolFantasy, though, still show the familiar back three with Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson as wing-backs.

The stakes are real. Dortmund are 13th in the league phase on six points after beating Villarreal and Sabah and losing in Bodø. Betis have nine from nine. A home win would lift Dortmund level with them and well into the top-eight conversation before trips to Arsenal and Aston Villa. "Tomorrow there is only one direction: we want to win this thing," Kovac told the club ticker.

Secondary feature: the cup tie that nearly got away

Four days before Munich, Dortmund needed a 93rd-minute free kick from Marcel Sabitzer to beat Werder Bremen 3-2 in the DFB-Pokal second round. Guirassy and Chukwuemeka had them 2-0 up, before former Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug scored twice in three minutes, the first a penalty. Kovac was reported to be unhappy with how his side managed the lead, per All Football.

The reward came on Sunday night: a last-16 trip to Eintracht Frankfurt, drawn at the football museum in Dortmund and scheduled for December 1 or 2, according to ran.de. Sabitzer's winner was the club's first direct free-kick goal since November 2024.

Bayern 2-2 Dortmund: how every Dortmund player rated

The Digest's own marks out of 10, informed by the Goal Germany and Ruhr Nachrichten player grades and the match reports. Inácio and Ryerson came on in the 87th minute and are not rated.

Gregor Kobel (GK) 7.5: Two sharp first-half stops from Laimer; beaten only by the rebound and a close-range finish.

Joane Gadou (RB) 7: First start at right-back; seven tackles won before half-time, more stretched after the break.

Waldemar Anton (CB) 7: Calm in his 100th competitive game for the club, with several blocked shots.

Nico Schlotterbeck (CB) 6.5: Two loose passes early, then the interception that started the equaliser; late to Kane for 2-1.

Joey Veerman (DM) 7: Lone holding midfielder, press-resistant and tidy; physically stretched in the second half.

Maximilian Beier (RW) 6.5: Huge ground covered on the right; a blocked 15th-minute shot, mostly defending after the break.

Daniel Svensson (LB) 6.5: Largely kept Olise quiet but slipped in the move that led to the opener.

Jobe Bellingham (CM) 7.5: Dortmund's most active outfielder; a goal ruled out on review and an early booking.

Felix Nmecha (CM) 4.5: Pass astray before Laimer's opener and the handball that gave Bayern a penalty.

Carney Chukwuemeka (AM) 7.5: Shook off two defenders and laid on Guirassy's equaliser.

Serhou Guirassy (ST) 7: Worked wide without service, then a cool left-foot finish to end a five-game league drought.

Konstantinos Karetsas (Sub 67') 6.5: Back from an ankle problem; his press on Pavlovic set up the late equaliser.

Marcel Sabitzer (Sub 67') 6: Quiet, but made a vital block in stoppage time.

Fábio Silva (Sub 76') 7.5: Constantly available and ice-cold for the 89th-minute equaliser.

Sources: Goal Germany ratings, Ruhr Nachrichten, FC Bayern match report, The Sports Encounter.

No rating is given for the Pokal win over Bremen on October 27, which fell just outside this edition's seven-day window.

Real Betis: nine from nine, and a coach who has been here before

Pellegrini's side arrive in their second ever Champions League campaign having won every game, and with an old Dortmund defender at the heart of it.

Real Betis have never won three straight Champions League matches before this season, according to El Gol Digital. They won 3-2 at Lille, 3-2 at home to Porto and 1-0 against Feyenoord, and arrive fourth in La Liga after beating Málaga 2-1 on Saturday through Marc Bartra and Pablo Fornals. The Hard Tackle counts ten wins from their last 14 since late August.

Manuel Pellegrini, 73, will take charge of his 70th Champions League match. He has history here: Dortmund knocked his Málaga side out in the 2012-13 quarter-finals. "If they had told us we would collect nine points from three games, it would have been a feat," he said on Tuesday, per ElDesmarque. Kovac called his longevity on the touchline "admirable".

The players to stop

Isco is the playmaker and has faced Dortmund with three clubs; Abde Ezzalzouli carries the threat from the left; and Marc Bartra, who played for Dortmund from 2016 to 2018, has been scoring from defence. Sports Mole credits Isco, Bartra and Abde with four goals each this season. Troy Parrott is expected to lead the line with Cucho Hernández out.

Antony is the wildcard. The Brazilian has not scored in 13 games this season, and Pellegrini said a big performance "would do him a lot of good". Expect a 4-2-3-1 built on Fornals and Marc Roca as a double pivot, with Héctor Bellerín and Fran García pushing on from full-back, per FútbolFantasy.

Where Dortmund can hurt them

Betis can be got at: Barcelona put five past them in a 5-2 league defeat in Seville this autumn, and both Lille and Porto scored twice against them in Europe. Their full-backs push high, which leaves room behind for Guirassy and Silva to run into. Dortmund have also won their last four UEFA home games against Spanish clubs. Pellegrini did not rule out rotation, and Fidalgo stayed home with a virus, per FútbolFantasy.

Anton turns down Dortmund's first offer

The centre-back wants a bigger raise; the club must now answer a counter-proposal.

Borussia Dortmund want to extend Waldemar Anton's contract beyond its 2028 expiry, but the defender has rejected the first offer, according to Sport Bild, as relayed by Goal and BVB-WLD on Wednesday. His advisers have sent a counter-offer. No quick deal is expected and talks will continue in the coming weeks.

The timing matters. If there is no agreement by next summer Anton would have two years left, and a sale could come into view. He joined from Stuttgart in 2024 for a reported €22.5m release clause and played his 100th competitive game for the club in Munich. Status: contract talks, no agreement.

Premier League scouts flood the Klassiker

Manchester United reportedly watched four Dortmund players in Munich.

Manchester United sent scouts to the Allianz Arena to watch Guirassy, Bellingham, Nmecha and Daniel Svensson, reports TEAMtalk. It adds that Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham were also represented. Any move for Svensson is seen as a summer possibility rather than a January one, and a Guirassy deal as "extremely difficult".

Status: scouting and long-term interest only, single-sourced to TEAMtalk; no other outlet has confirmed talks.

A thin flank and a winter shopping list

Commentators want two signings; the club says its scouts are ready.

With Ryerson and Svensson carrying heavy loads, Konstantelias out until well into the second half of the season and Karetsas and Nwaneri still adapting, FussballTransfers argues Dortmund need a wide player and a creator in January. Managing director Carsten Cramer is quoted there saying sporting director Lars Ricken and Ole Book "watch every day and can act at any time".

The name most linked is Marcel Regula, the Zaglebie Lubin attacker Dortmund chased in the summer. Bild reported renewed winter interest in September, per Bulinews, and FussballTransfers says Lubin want €7m to €8m. Status: interest, no bid reported.

The Rumour Mill

Daniel Svensson to Manchester United: on a list of left-back options (TEAMtalk); interest, summer at the earliest.

Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha: long-term United targets with high price tags (TEAMtalk); interest only.

Marcel Regula: winter target per Bild and FussballTransfers; asking price €7m to €8m; interest.

Jadon Sancho: currently without a club, but FussballTransfers says he is not considered a candidate.

A nearly full squad, and a coach rationing Karetsas

Seven games in three weeks, but Kovac says he can pick from almost everyone.

"We can draw on the full squad," Niko Kovac said on Tuesday, per BVB-WLD. The exceptions are long-term: Emre Can and Giannis Konstantelias, whose cruciate ligament tear on the opening weekend against Hamburg will keep him out for several months, per Bundesliga.com. FútbolFantasy also lists Justin Lerma with a muscle problem.

Konstantinos Karetsas, the €30m summer signing, returned in Munich after a three-match ankle break and pressed Pavlovic into the error that led to Silva's equaliser. Kovac wants patience: "We have to be cautious and not rush things." BVB-WLD expects him to be a starting option only after the international break.

Form guide

Serhou Guirassy has eight goals and two assists in 13 appearances, per Sports Mole, and ended a five-game league drought in Munich. Fábio Silva has five and two in 13 and is pushing for a start alongside him. Gregor Kobel said the squad felt "ready to perform every few days" despite the schedule.

The one worry is Felix Nmecha: a 4.5 from Goal Germany for the stray pass and handball in Munich. Jobe Bellingham and Carney Chukwuemeka, by contrast, were among the best players on the pitch. Bellingham, Beier and Guirassy trained in shorts at 8 degrees on Tuesday, the club noted.

U19s top their group and meet Betis in the Youth League

A late winner against Duisburg, a six-goal derby at Schalke, and a big night in Brackel.

Felix Hirschnagl's U19s beat MSV Duisburg 2-1 on Saturday to take sole first place in their DFB youth league group. Bjarki Gardarsson scored with an 18-metre free kick and substitute Hamzath Mohamadou won it in the 85th minute. Hirschnagl admitted it was "a somewhat lucky win", per the club report.

They host Real Betis in the UEFA Youth League today at 7:00 AM Pacific, with two wins and one loss so far, and Prates and Reggiani dropping down to add experience. The U17s won the Revierderby at Schalke 6-3 on Friday, per the club.

BVB II and the loanees

Daniel Rios's U23s went into Saturday's home game with FC Gütersloh second in the Regionalliga West and the only unbeaten team in the league, after five straight wins, per the club preview. The Digest could not confirm the result before publication. A top-of-the-table game against leaders Oberhausen follows next.

On loan, Yan Couto is spending the season at Como (beIN), and goalkeeper Diant Ramaj returned to FC Copenhagen on a season-long loan with a €5m option to buy (report).

Ten from ten, 48 scored, none conceded

The women's side are running away with the Regionalliga West.

Markus Högner's BVB women went into Sunday's trip to 1. FFC Recklinghausen top of the Regionalliga West with ten wins from ten and a goal difference of 48-0, per the club preview. Their most recent win was a tight 1-0 against SGS Essen's U21s. The Digest could not confirm Sunday's result before publication.

Austrian goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger has started limited team training after a cruciate ligament injury, Sara Ito is available after a cut above her eye, and Jenske Steenwijk is over the flu.

Klopp names Germany's squad on Thursday

There is no international window this week; the Champions League is the only European duty, and that is tonight. Next up, Germany coach Jürgen Klopp names a squad of about 23 or 24 on November 5 for Nations League games in Belgrade against Serbia on November 13 and against the Netherlands in Berlin on November 16, per dpa via Volksstimme and the DFB. Dortmund's German contingent, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Nmecha and Beier among them, will learn their fate then.

Old faces, new shirts

Former Dortmund forward Cole Campbell comes back with SV Elversberg on Saturday. "A lot of emotions for me next week, especially playing against my old club," the USMNT international told Get German Football News. He scored in stoppage time of Elversberg's 4-1 win over Mainz. Ethan Nwaneri, on loan from Arsenal, was an unused substitute in Munich; Dortmund visit Arsenal on November 24.

18
Points after eight league games, level with Bayern and unbeaten; Bayern lead only on goal difference.

4.18 to 0.63
ESPN's expected-goals count in Munich, which shows how much Kobel and the woodwork contributed.

93
The minute of Sabitzer's Pokal winner against Bremen, Dortmund's first direct free-kick goal since November 2024.

48-0
The women's goal difference from ten straight Regionalliga West wins.

Pokal draw: Dortmund go to Eintracht Frankfurt in the last 16 on December 1 or 2 (ran.de; dates from bvb.de).

Kovac's deal: the coach signed an extension to 2029 on October 13; his 2.15 points per Bundesliga game is a club record (ZDF).

Captain's view: Schlotterbeck said Gadou's first game at right-back "wasn't easy against a top Alphonso Davies" (Sport1).

Sold out: tonight's Champions League game is a sell-out, and Kovac said Dortmund must "impose our style, here in our stadium" (Mucho Deporte).

Bartra returns: the former Dortmund centre-back is expected to start for Betis (The Hard Tackle).

Wed, Nov 4, 7:00 AM PT: Dortmund U19 v Real Betis U19, UEFA Youth League, BVB-TV

Wed, Nov 4, 12:00 PM PT: Dortmund v Real Betis, Champions League, Signal Iduna Park; US: Paramount+

Thu, Nov 5: Jürgen Klopp names Germany's November squad

Sat, Nov 7, 6:30 AM PT: Dortmund v SV Elversberg, Bundesliga, Signal Iduna Park; US: Fandango (USA Network listing)

Weekend of Nov 7–8: BVB II against leaders Oberhausen, Regionalliga West top-of-the-table game (time not yet confirmed)

Nov 13 and 16: Germany at Serbia and v Netherlands, Nations League (kickoffs to be confirmed)

Saturday's visitors SV Elversberg are seventh on 13 points in their first Bundesliga season under Vincent Wagner, and beat Mainz 4-1 last Friday. After that comes the international break, then Borussia Mönchengladbach on November 21 and Arsenal on November 24.

Champions League snapshot: Dortmund 13th on 6 points; Betis 5th on 9 (Sports Mole). Full Bundesliga table: hessenschau.de.

Was this edition useful?

Yes, it was   Not really