A surprise comeback of the team leader

It hasn’t happen often in recent years, but Borussia Dortmund is currently above Bayern Munich on the Bundesliga table. The unexpected goalless draw with Schalke is the main reason the Bavarians are not leading the league already, but it’s only the second week anyway. The BVB have an opportunity to continue their advantage over Bayern and even top the table today, if they beat the newcomers Paderborn. But that match is not so much in focus these days in Dortmund, mainly due to a situation with Konstantinos Karetsas.📸 | Nico Schlotterbeck via stories do instagram.« Schlott is ready 🖤💛 » pic.twitter.com/LPYFxl8Qq7— Central do Nico Schlotterbeck 🇩🇪🐝 (@CentralDoNS4) September 12, 2026 The newly acquired Greek player is injured, just like his compatriot Giannis Konstantelias who suffered interior cruciate ligament. Luckily for Karetsas, his injury is not nearly as serious, but is quite curious and mysterious. During the Champions League game with Villarreal, the Greek sat down on the grass and waited for the medical team after only 23 minutes, who placed him on a stretcher, carried him off the pitch and then took him to hospital. His mother finally gave a statement after days of half-reports."The circulatory problems were apparently due to dehydration. Kos was able to leave the hospital, which is a great relief. The club is being very cautious and wants to rule out all possibilities through various tests" she said to Het Nieuwsblad. It will be interesting to see why the player had circulatory problems in 18C weather and light rain.Karetsas still in hospital with an unknown conditionBut despite this injury news, Borussia will suddenly have their team leader back. Out of the blue it has been reported that Nico Schlotterbeck returned to the trainings and could even feature in today’s game against Paderborn. After his ankle injury at the World Cup, the national team player has made a huge step forward in his recovery. He was supposed to come back at the end of September (and after the international break), but suddenly, he is back in contention, which is a huge relief for coach Niko Kovač. The same applies to Ramy Bensebaini , who recently had to sit out due to a rib contusion."Both are fit, healthy, and ready to play this weekend. That means I can count on both of them and could theoretically, but also practically, field either of them" said Kovač. How much will they play however, remains to be seen.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 3FridayUnion Berlin – Schalke 1-3 (0-1)/Skarke 90+6 – Gosens 25, Aouchiche 46, Weber 90+13/Saturday16.30: (4.10) Augsburg (3.70) Bayer Leverkusen (1.85)16.30: (1.25) Dortmund (6.50) Paderborn (10.0)16.30: (1.70) Freiburg (4.20) Monchengladbach (4.50)16.30: (2.35) Hoffenheim (3.75) Stuttgart (2.65)16.30: (2.05) Mainz (3.60) Eintracht Frankfurt (3.50)19.30: (2.10) Koln (3.50) Werder (3.40)Sunday16.30: (1.38) RB Leipzig (5.20) Hamburger (7.00)18.30: (13.0) Elversberg (7.75) Bayern Munich (1.18)***odds are subject to change***