Borussia Dortmund open their competitive season under real pressure on Saturday, hosting Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup at Signal Iduna Park without their defensive cornerstone. Nico Schlotterbeck has been out since suffering a left ankle ligament injury at the World Cup in June and is not expected back until mid-September, leaving Niko Kovac to reshape his backline for the season's first meaningful test.

Into that gap steps 19-year-old Joane Gadou, signed from Red Bull Salzburg for around 20 million euros this summer. The French centre-back has started every preseason fixture on the right of Dortmund's three-man defence and drawn strong early reviews for his physicality, pace and ball-playing composure under pressure. His performance against Bayern's attack will be one of the defining storylines of the afternoon.

Off the pitch, the club revealed a net loss of 21.7 million euros for the 2025/26 financial year, a sharp reversal from the prior year's 6.7 million euro profit. Executives pointed to the early Champions League exit against Atalanta and reduced Club World Cup distributions as the main causes, with TV revenues alone falling 58.5 million euros. The club insists it remains financially sound and targets a top-three Bundesliga finish this season.

In the transfer market, Dortmund have moved decisively toward youth, bringing in Joey Veerman, Karetsas, Konstantelias and Gadou among others. A deal for Barcelona right-back Hector Fort appears close, while uncertainty lingers over Fabio Silva's future, with Real Betis pushing for a move. Kovac's contract situation also remains unresolved, tied informally to Lars Ricken's own renewal.