Borussia Dortmund head into October in the strongest possible league position, sitting top of the Bundesliga with 12 points from four unbeaten games, including a 1-0 win at VfB Stuttgart before the international break. Niko Kovac has built a side that concedes very little, and former players speaking to kicker confirm that defensive discipline has always been the foundation of his coaching identity. The early-season form reflects exactly that.

The mood around the club has been complicated, though, by a damaging injury double during the international break. Nico Schlotterbeck suffered ankle ligament damage in Germany training after what teammates initially mistook for a joke, and his availability for the Werder Bremen fixture on 9 October remains uncertain. The situation worsened when Julian Ryerson left the field after just 16 minutes for Norway against Wales, having already been forced off against Portugal days earlier. With Ryerson the only specialist right-back in the squad following Yan Couto's departure, Kovac has limited cover and may need to repurpose Daniel Svensson.

Off the pitch, BVB reported a net loss of 21.7 million euros for the 2025-26 financial year, down from a surplus of 6.5 million the previous season, driven largely by early exits in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal. The club insists its balance sheet remains solid, with equity above 300 million euros, but the figures add financial weight to the need for a deep run in this season's competitions.