Borussia Dortmund begin the new season under pressure after a difficult Supercup defeat and a string of setbacks that have complicated Niko Kovac's preparations. Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park on August 22, with Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise putting the visitors two up before Fabio Silva pulled one back. The result itself was damaging enough, but the manner of the first half drew sharp criticism. Former coach Ewald Lienen attacked Kovac's methods in a podcast, arguing the team's physical approach was neither effective nor admirable, while pundit Stefan Effenberg questioned Serhou Guirassy's commitment after the striker barely touched the ball before being substituted.

The injury picture darkened further after the game. Defender Ramy Bensebaini was sent off and taken to hospital with a suspected rib injury, while Nico Schlotterbeck remains sidelined with the ankle ligament damage he suffered at the World Cup. The Ruhr Nachrichten reported his return is unlikely before early October, meaning Dortmund face the Bundesliga opener and their first Champions League fixture without their defensive leader.

On the transfer front, the club secured new signing Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk for 30 million euros, with Sport Bild revealing that AC Milan had been ready to match the fee. His debut against Bayern showed promise. The pursuit of Barcelona right-back Hector Fort has, however, collapsed according to Sky, with Fort now set to join Real Sociedad. Dortmund host Hamburger SV on Saturday in their Bundesliga opener, needing a response.