Dortmund rebuild youth under Kovac before Hamburg clash
Borussia Dortmund's dortmund hamburg opener kicks off Saturday at 5:30pm as Niko Kovac's youth-heavy rebuild targets the rock-and-roll BVB of the past. After a second-place finish, BVB kept their spine, added Joey Veerman and Greek wingers Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantin Karetsas, and head into Signal Iduna Park with optimism restored.
There is optimism at Borussia Dortmund again. Head coach Niko Kovac told Sky Sports that four players left in the summer, Dortmund signed talented newcomers plus one experienced midfielder in Joey Veerman from PSV Eindhoven, and kept the spine—goalkeeper, centre-back, midfielder—intact. "Now we are trying to create the BVB, I would say, from the past," Kovac said at the club's training ground.
That past means rock-and-roll football for the Yellow Wall: more counter-pressing, less control, football with feeling. Dortmund had drifted toward older signings and cautious football aimed at guaranteeing Champions League qualification—not very Dortmund. For more offbeat sports angles, see our Bizarre News & Florida Man hub.
Key Takeaways
- Dortmund face Hamburg at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, 29 August, with a 5:30pm kick-off to open the Bundesliga season.
- Kovac is blending youth—including Greek wingers Konstantelias and Karetsas—with veterans like Veerman after losing Adeyemi and Brandt.
- CEO Carsten Cramer credits Kovac with rescuing the club from the wrong half of the table and guiding them to second place.
- OneFootball footage shows Dortmund warming up in style ahead of the Hamburg clash, with Kovac and Kobel stressing a winning mentality.
- The gap to Bayern Munich narrowed from 25 points to 16 under Kovac, though a title challenge still looks distant.
Why does the Dortmund vs Hamburg clash matter now?
Saturday's fixture arrives at a moment when BVB believe they are not just rebuilding but recapturing something lost. Kovac took over in late January 2025 with the club in a perilous position; Dortmund finished fourth that season and second last time around.
In the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, Konstantelias ignited Signal Iduna Park when he came on and ran at Bayern Munich's defence. Dortmund nearly overturned a two-goal deficit. Julian Ryerson told Sky Sports the new arrivals could "take us to a new level."
OneFootball reported that Dortmund warmed up in style for the Hamburg clash, with clips of Kovac saying "everyone is on board" and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel insisting you "go into every game to win."
Who replaces the goals Dortmund lost this summer?
Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt were proven in black and yellow—and they are gone. "We need to replace these goals, it is clear," Kovac acknowledged. Veerman adds experience in midfield, but much of the excitement rests on Konstantelias and Karetsas, whose big talent has raised expectations under new sporting director Ole Book.
Fans hope the gamble on potential pays off. As Kovac put it: "When you buy new players, you never know if it is going to work or not." Perhaps that uncertainty is part of the thrill Dortmund are daring to embrace again.
Can Niko Kovac deliver the old BVB feeling?
Kovac carries a reputation for perspiration over inspiration, yet chief executive Carsten Cramer is unequivocal. "Imagine what happened when we hired him one-and-a-half years ago. We were in regions we never should be and he brought us to the Champions League," Cramer told Sky Sports.
Kovac switched from a planned back four to a back five, then prioritized fitness so players stopped hesitating between attack and defence. "Without those physical abilities, you are calculating," he explained. The gap to Bayern remains large—16 points last season—but Kovac prefers proof over promises: "I do not like to speak first and then work."