Borussia Dortmund sit top of the Bundesliga after a perfect start to the season, collecting all 12 available points from their opening four matches. A 1-0 win at VfB Stuttgart before the international break was the latest demonstration of Niko Kovac's side grinding out results, and the table confirms they hold a two-point lead over Bayern Munich. The mood around the club is positive, yet the extended international break has created real concern in the squad.

Two key defenders returned from international duty carrying injury doubts. Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an ankle ligament injury during a Germany training session and is working individually as Friday's match approaches. Julian Ryerson, the club's only natural right-back following Yan Couto's summer departure, was substituted early in Norway's game against Wales with what appeared to be a recurrence of a problem that had already forced him off against Portugal days earlier. Kovac was direct in his frustration, calling four games in a single international window "definitively too much" and describing the situation as "totally unacceptable" from a club perspective.

Off the pitch, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel sent an encouraging signal by expressing a strong desire to extend his contract beyond 2028, describing himself as "superhappy" at the club. That stability matters, because Dortmund's financial results for 2025-26 showed a net loss of 21.7 million euros, driven largely by early exits in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal. With Werder Bremen arriving at Signal Iduna Park on Friday, Kovac must now assess exactly who is available to protect that early-season lead.