Dortmund Sweat on Karetsas After Teenage Winger’s Ankle Injury at Union Berlin

Borussia Dortmund are waiting for news on Konstantinos Karetsas after the teenage winger was helped off with a serious-looking right ankle injury just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Union Berlin.

The 18-year-old Greece international had entered the match from the bench at the Alte Försterei, but his afternoon ended almost as quickly as it began. Karetsas was unable to continue and had to be helped from the pitch, with no immediate update forthcoming from the club after full-time.

“Let’s hope it’s not too serious”

Dortmund sporting director Nils-Ole Book offered a cautiously downbeat assessment. “Let’s hope it’s not too serious. He’s not feeling great right now,” Book told reporters after a match that also dented Dortmund’s early-season momentum. The teenager is expected to undergo scans in the coming days to determine the extent of the damage to his right ankle.

Bad timing for a stalling team

The injury capped a frustrating afternoon in the capital. Dortmund, who won six in a row in all competitions to start the campaign, have now gone three matches without a victory — two Bundesliga draws either side of a Champions League defeat at Bodø/Glimt. Serhou Guirassy spurned the best chance of a game of few opportunities, heading wide with eleven minutes remaining.

Karetsas had been one of the bright spots of Dortmund’s opening weeks, and his availability now becomes a key question for a squad juggling domestic and European commitments. Bayern Munich’s 6-1 rout of RB Leipzig later on Saturday only added to the pressure, sending the champions back to the top of the table.

What comes next

Dortmund expect to issue a fuller medical bulletin once the results of the scans are known. For now, the club can only hope that their young winger’s ankle problem is not the long-term lay-off the sight of his exit suggested. A serious absence would leave Dortmund light in wide areas at a moment when their form, and their lead at the top, has already slipped away.