Marco Rose Gives a Squad Update before the Wolfsburg Match

After a... challenging midweek result, Dortmund will look to bounce back against VfL Wolfsburg with a strong result before the match against Bayern Munich. Dortmund needs a positive result to keep pace with Bayern, and a strong Wolfsburg side will present a challenge for a team that is currently a bit down in the dumps. Today, Marco Rose provided a squad update which, while a bit unclear, hopefully shows that our injury crisis is beginning to ease.

It is a bit hard to make sense of this one, but let’s try to unpack it. It seems Jude Bellingham will be out this weekend, which is a major blow as the young Englishman has been one of few bright lights this season. Still, if an extra week of rest gets him fit and firing for the game against the Rekordmeister, it is worth it. The fitness of Emre Can and Mahmoud Dahoud should soften the blow, and finally give Axel Witsel a chance to rest. Marius Wolf may be ready for a return which would serve as a huge boost in the absence of Raphael Guerreiro. Hopefully the Portuguese international does not prove to be the next player in line for BVB who was brought back into the action too soon. Having Moukoko back should take some pressure off of Marco Reus, as the youngster can fill in next to Donyell Malen if Rose opts for a two-striker system.

Lastly, there is Erling Haaland. I am not sure how to take this one. Is Erling fit? Did he wait too long to book a plane ticket and now he has to ride on the team bus? Honestly, I hope Erling is not in the squad for the game against Wolfsburg. Even if he is making a miraculous return a month ahead of schedule, the last time we rushed him back it was a clear mistake. I am not sure what Rose is suggesting here, but I know that I have ridden on a bus with an injury before, it works just the same way. Maybe that is all that is happening here.