Borussia Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini is set to miss Sunday's Bundesliga trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach after sustaining a foot injury. Head coach Niko Kovač confirmed the news on Thursday, stating the Algerian international had not trained this week and was unlikely to be available for selection.
Kovač revealed that Bensebaini picked up the injury during Dortmund's 4-0 victory over SC Freiburg last weekend, a match in which the left-back scored a goal and registered an assist. "Ramy Bensebaini picked up a foot injury in the last match and hasn't trained," Kovač said. "He has quite a swollen foot, so it is unlikely he will make it for the weekend." The absence is a significant setback for Dortmund, who are locked in a tight battle for Champions League qualification.
The injury comes at an inopportune time for Bensebaini, who had been establishing himself as a key figure since joining Dortmund from Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer last summer. His potential unavailability against his former club adds a further layer of intrigue to the fixture. Dortmund's defensive resources are already stretched, with Niklas Süle also ruled out for the Gladbach match, according to the coach.
Kovač provided updates on several other squad members ahead of the crucial away game. He indicated that midfielder Felix Nmecha is progressing in his recovery but has not yet returned to full team training and is not expected to be ready for Sunday, though he could be in contention for the following week's match against Eintracht Frankfurt. Forward Karim Adeyemi participated in parts of training on Thursday and is on "a much better path," while captain Emre Can continues his long-term recovery from an ACL injury.
In more positive news for Dortmund, Kovač stated that Yan Couto and Jobe Bellingham, who missed training on Wednesday and Thursday due to illness, are both expected to be fit and available for the weekend. Dortmund will hope their available squad can secure a positive result at Borussia-Park to maintain pressure on the top four, despite being without several key contributors.
