Niklas Süle will be missing for BVB’s Bundesliga opener against Bayer Leverkusen. Coach Edin Terzic explains why. Another takes heart.

As coach of Borussia Dortmund, you have to develop certain routines. One of them is to provide information about injuries. Edin Terzic has already had the opportunity to do this when he first took over as interim coach about a year and a half ago. And now, as head coach, he has to announce medical bulletins again.

For example, about Niklas Süle. The fact that the centre-back will be absent for the Bundesliga opener against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday (6.30 pm/Sky) has long been reported by this and many other editorial offices. Terzic only confirmed the matter at the press conference on Thursday afternoon: “Unfortunately, Niklas injured his muscle in the first half of the last game, namely his anterior thigh,” explained the coach. “He wanted to continue playing, so we took him out to be on the safe side. “

Özcan could play – but probably not in the BVB starting eleven

But the safety measure didn’t work out as desired, Süle will be missing against Leverkusen. “He couldn’t train the whole week and is not available,” said Terzic. “We hope he won’t be missing for too long. He is also pain-free now, so we can slowly put pressure on him again.”

The game against Leverkusen also comes too soon for full-backs Tom Rothe and Felix Passlack, who are struggling with muscle problems. Things are looking better for Salih Özcan. “He’s already back in training, we’re in the process of partial integration,” says Terzic.

In other words, the midfielder is training with us to a large extent, but is not yet being put under full pressure. “We will now increase that bit by bit,” says Terzic. “We now have two good training sessions before the game – and then we will decide whether it is enough for Leverkusen.” However, it is more likely to be about a place in the squad – it would probably be too early for a starting appearance at Borussia Dortmund after weeks of rest due to a foot bruise.