Guirassy Ruled Out of Dortmund’s Clash with Elversberg
Borussia Dortmund will be without Serhou Guirassy for Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Elversberg after the striker suffered a thigh strain.
Niko Kovac confirmed the news following Dortmund’s Champions League win over Real Betis, in which Guirassy was forced off in the 34th minute. The Guinean, Dortmund’s top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions, is set to miss the club’s final fixture before the November international break.
His replacement against Betis, Konstantinos Karetsas, scored the decisive goal and is expected to play a significant role at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund currently sit level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table.
Guirassy had been due to join Guinea for international duty, but Kovac said talks are ongoing about him remaining in Germany to focus on his recovery.
“Serhou has a strain. He won’t be able to play,” Kovac told reporters. “We’ll see how we handle this over the next few days. We’re in close communication with the [Guinea] federation. It looks like he won’t be travelling and will stay here. But we’ll discuss that further with the federation.”
Kovac could not put a timescale on Guirassy’s return but confirmed that midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is available again. Sabitzer, who scored the free-kick winner in last week’s DFB-Pokal victory over Werder Bremen, missed the Betis match through illness.
The Dortmund coach also addressed Maximilian Beier’s surprise omission from Jürgen Klopp’s Germany squad for the final Nations League fixtures. Beier has two goals and two assists in 15 appearances across all competitions this season, while his 14 chances created rank fifth among Dortmund players.
“Of course, it’s very disappointing for Maxi,” Kovac said. “I would have liked him to have been there, too. He will take it. He will become stronger from it and will learn from it. He will get his chance. I’m convinced of that.”
Match prediction: Borussia Dortmund win
Dortmund have met Elversberg only once in competitive football, winning 4-1 away in the second round of the 1981-82 DFB-Pokal. However, BVB have failed to win any of their last four first-time meetings against top-flight opposition (one draw, three defeats), with their most recent such success a 4-0 win at Ingolstadt in August 2015.
Kovac’s side remain unbeaten in their opening eight Bundesliga matches for only the fourth time in club history (after 2002-03, 2018-19 and 2023-24). Three of their last four league games have ended in draws after an earlier run of six consecutive victories spanning two seasons.
Dortmund have scored just two set-piece goals in the Bundesliga this term — only Schalke have fewer (one) — and their 14% share of goals from set pieces is joint-lowest in the division alongside RB Leipzig.
Elversberg, meanwhile, have made an impressive start as a newly promoted side. Their 13 points from eight matches represent the best opening by a Bundesliga newcomer since RB Leipzig’s 18 points in 2016-17. Their tally of 16 goals is the second-highest by a promoted team after eight games since the 1970s, behind only Hoffenheim’s 21 in 2008-09.
The visitors have failed to score in three consecutive away league matches for the first time in their history in the top two divisions — a joint-high for goalless away games in the Bundesliga this season — and face the league’s strongest defence. A fast start could prove decisive, however: Elversberg have scored five goals in the opening 15 minutes of Bundesliga matches this season, a figure bettered only by Eintracht Frankfurt (six).
