Club World Cup: Borussia Dortmund with personnel concerns – three players threatened with injury

Borussia Dortmund enters the Club World Cup group final against Ulsan HD with some personnel concerns. Jamie Gittens, and possibly Marcel Sabitzer and Giovanni Reyna, will be missing from Wednesday's clash with the South Korean team (9:00 p.m./Sat.1 and DAZN).

"We left Jamie at home because he's sick," said coach Niko Kovac on Tuesday in Cincinnati about the sought-after attacker, who is said to be on the radar of numerous top clubs, including Bayern Munich and Chelsea. "Despite all the rumors that are probably circulating: He really is sick," Kovac emphasized.

Sabitzer had "a bit of trouble with his knee after a hit in the last match against Mamelodi Sundowns (4-3), so he trained a bit less," Kovac said. In training on Tuesday, the Austrian "participated partially, so we'll have to wait and see if we get the go-ahead."

Reyna also had a cold and had spent the past few days in a room at the team's headquarters in Florida. "My nose was blocked, my throat was scratchy. The air conditioning, that's part of it," Kovac said. Reyna hasn't played at all in the Club World Cup yet, while Gittens only played a few minutes in the opening match against Fluminense (0-0).

BVB only needs one point against Ulsan to advance, but elimination is also a possibility. League leaders Fluminense and Mamelodi of South Africa are playing at the same time. Kovac emphasized that he expects a "very difficult match" against Ulsan, one that "will not be a high-speed game" due to the temperatures. Temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius are expected in Cincinnati at kickoff, and Kovac expects temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius on the pitch.

"The conditions are special. We're playing football, but that has nothing to do with the sport itself. We're used to different temperatures," said the Croatian. "For the spectators, it might be something nice, but for the footballers, it's more of a torture. But we have to go through it, we want to go through it."

RND/SID