Borussia Dortmund will be without Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule for the first leg of their Champions League playoff against Atalanta Bergamo. That could open the door for a youngster to step in.
Borussia Dortmund head into Tuesday night match in Bergamo with their defensive plans heavily disrupted, after the club confirmed that both Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule will miss the first leg of the Champions League playoff.
Schlotterbeck is dealing with muscular problems, while Sule is struggling with a thigh injury. Neither player took part in the final training session, and Dortmund made it clear on Monday morning that both will be unavailable for the 21:00 kickoff.
The timing is particularly awkward for Dortmund because Schlotterbeck had only just been due to return to the lineup after missing the weekend 4-0 win over Mainz through suspension. He had been ruled out of that match because of a yellow card ban, so Dortmund were already managing his absence domestically. Now, instead of restoring a key defensive option for Europe, they have to cope without him again, this time due to fitness issues, and in one of the most demanding environments they can face away from home.
Sule situation is different but just as damaging. He started against Mainz, but the match did not go the full ninety minutes for him. He had to be substituted at half time, a clear sign that the problem had either flared up or was already limiting him. His replacement was Luca Reggiani, who was making only his second Bundesliga appearance. The teenager handled the step up reasonably well, earning a solid rating in the German press and, more importantly for Dortmund, showing enough composure that he suddenly becomes a real option for a match of this magnitude.
That is why the injuries have shifted attention to Reggiani. At eighteen, he is now in line for what could be a remarkable moment: his first start in a Champions League knockout style tie, away in Italy, against a team known for relentless intensity and tactical discipline. Reggiani joined Dortmund in February 2024 from the Sassuolo system and has been registered for the Champions League via the B list, which is typically used to include young or club developed players. That administrative detail matters now because it gives Kovac genuine flexibility rather than forcing him into awkward improvised solutions.
The broader problem is that Dortmund options are thin, even beyond the two centre backs. Emre Can is unavailable with groin problems, removing a player who can operate as a defender, a holding midfielder, or even as a structural organiser in matches where Dortmund need leadership and physical presence. Filippo Mane is also not fit, and his absence reduces another depth option at the back. Mane picked up a muscle injury in the 3-2 win over Heidenheim and is expected to be out for a longer spell, leaving Dortmund even more exposed in terms of squad rotation.
There is also no emergency alternative in the shape of Aaron Anselmino. The young defender was recalled by Chelsea during the winter window, but rather than moving to Dortmund or staying in London, he was loaned out again, ending up at Racing Strasbourg as part of a broader arrangement. For Dortmund, that means a potential depth solution disappeared at the exact moment they could have used extra cover.
Given those constraints, Kovac must decide whether he trusts Reggiani from the start or whether he reshapes the defensive line in a more experienced way. One alternative is shifting Julian Ryerson deeper. Ryerson normally operates on the right flank, but he has already shown he can fill in as the right sided defender in a back three. He did exactly that earlier in the season during the 2-0 win at Heidenheim on matchday 3, and performed reliably. If Ryerson drops into the back three again, Dortmund would need to fill the space he leaves behind on the right side, and Yann Couto is the natural candidate for that job, just as he was in that earlier match.
All of this suggests Dortmund approach in Bergamo may be shaped as much by personnel survival as by tactical preference. A back three with limited centre back availability can either become more conservative, protecting the middle and relying on wing backs for width, or it can become more fragile if the unit lacks familiarity and leadership. Dortmund will have to manage transitions carefully because Atalanta are well known for forcing errors through aggressive pressing and rapid vertical movement.
Interestingly, Atalanta are also arriving with injury issues, though theirs are concentrated in attack. Giacomo Raspadori suffered a thigh injury in the 2-0 win at Lazio and is expected to miss both playoff matches, with an estimated absence of around three weeks. That removes a forward option who can link play, attack space, and offer variety in the final third. In addition, Charles De Ketelaere, already sidelined for some time, will remain out with meniscus problems and will not be available for either leg. Losing two attacking pieces reduces Atalanta rotation options and can affect how they manage the tie across both matches, especially if they need to chase a result late.
From Dortmund perspective, those Atalanta absences are relevant because they slightly change the profile of threat they will face. Even so, Dortmund primary concern remains the stability of their own back line. With Schlotterbeck and Sule both out, Can unavailable, and Mane not fit, Kovac is forced into a high stakes decision: either give a youngster like Reggiani a major responsibility immediately, or shuffle experienced players into unfamiliar roles and risk losing cohesion.
In a two leg playoff, the first match often sets the emotional and tactical tone for the entire tie. Dortmund will want to keep control of the damage, stay compact, and remain alive for the second leg, but Atalanta home pressure can turn small weaknesses into repeated stress points. That is why Dortmund selection, especially in the defensive unit, may end up being the defining storyline before the ball is even kicked in Bergamo.
