Borussia Dortmund ended a concerning three-game winless streak with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sabah FK in Baku, reports GOAL, with Serhou Guirassy scoring twice to secure a result that keeps the club on track in the Champions League with six points from three games. The win was welcome, but the performance again raised questions about Dortmund's consistency. Niko Kovac's side laboured against limited opposition, conceding an equaliser before Guirassy's second-half volley settled matters.

The result came against a difficult backdrop. Konstantinos Karetsas, one of the club's most influential attackers since his 30-million-euro summer arrival, will miss the Champions League trip to Baku and the Bundesliga home game against Eintracht Frankfurt after suffering a ligament injury at Union Berlin, as confirmed by the club. His absence adds further pressure to an attack that BVB sporting director Lars Ricken has already described as lacking a decisive final touch.

Off the pitch, the future of defender Luca Reggiani looks increasingly uncertain. The kicker reports that BVB's hierarchy no longer believes the 18-year-old meets the level required, making a January departure probable, with Inter Milan and AC Milan among the potential destinations.

Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga on 14 points, level with Bayern Munich, according to the structured sports data. Eintracht Frankfurt visit the Signal Iduna Park on 24 October, giving Kovac's side an early opportunity to demonstrate that their European momentum can carry into domestic competition.