Borussia Dortmund are showing signs of recovery after a difficult spell, but questions about consistency and squad depth remain very much alive. Serhou Guirassy's brace secured a 2-1 Champions League win over Sabah FK in Baku, ending a run of three games without victory and lifting the club to six points from three European matches. The result brought genuine relief, though the performance itself was far from convincing, with Dortmund allowing a soft equaliser and failing to kill the game off when it mattered.

The win came at a cost in other areas. Konstantinos Karetsas, one of the club's most exciting attackers since his summer arrival from Genk, has been ruled out with a ligament injury sustained against Union Berlin. The BVB confirmed he will miss both the Sabah trip and Saturday's Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt, extending a difficult period for the 18-year-old who had already missed time earlier in the season. Ethan Nwaneri, deputising in the wider attacking role, continues to show promise without delivering the end product that Kovac's side desperately needs.

Off the pitch, details of Kovac's contract extension until 2029 have emerged, including performance bonuses and a mutual exit clause, signalling that the club's leadership remains committed to the Croatian coach despite the inconsistent run of form. Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga, level on points with Bayern Munich, and face Frankfurt at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.