Borussia Dortmund sit top of the Bundesliga with 12 points from four games, but the international break has brought fresh injury concerns that threaten to test the squad's depth heading into a busy run of fixtures. The club's most pressing problem is at the back, where two key defenders have picked up knocks while away on international duty. Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an ankle ligament injury during a Germany training session, an incident that teammates and coach Jürgen Klopp initially mistook for a joke before the severity became clear, as reported by Bild. No surgery is required, but his availability for the Bundesliga visit of Werder Bremen on October 9 is in doubt. Compounding the problem, right-back Julian Ryerson was forced off after just 15 minutes for Norway against Wales, having also left the field early in the previous game against Portugal, according to reports covering the BVB squad. With Yan Couto already sold to Como and no specialist backup signed, the options to cover Ryerson are limited. Off the pitch, the club disclosed a net loss of 21.7 million euros for the 2025/26 financial year, a sharp reversal from the previous season's 6.5 million euro surplus, driven largely by early exits in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal, as outlined in BVB's financial report coverage. Despite the deficit, leadership pointed to a healthy equity base of around 300 million euros as evidence the club remains financially stable. The focus now shifts to maintaining momentum on the pitch against Werder, with Kovac working to solve a defensive puzzle before Friday's game.