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Let’s get to work! BVB kicks off preseason with performance testing
Even before BVB coach Niko Kovac donned his coaching gear, he held his first meeting with Nico Schlotterbeck on Sunday morning. The injured center back (medial ligament injury in his left ankle) wasn’t yet part of the group that completed the first phase of performance diagnostics on Sunday. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old showed up in his workout clothes in the BVB first team’s fitness area and went through an individual rehab session while his teammates worked up a sweat on the treadmill.
Captain Emre Can, who is also in rehabilitation training following the cruciate ligament tear he suffered in the spring, suddenly appeared in good spirits among his Black and Yellow teammates in the weight room. He greeted new signings Justin Lerma and Joane Gadou, who were meeting their Dortmund teammates for the first time, and was delighted to be reunited with old acquaintances.
The BVB first team—including Serhou Guirassy, Fabio Silva, Jobe Bellingham, and others—got down to business on the training area in the weight room and on the ergometers. Karim Adeyemi and Kjell Wätjen were absent; both players have been granted leave to hold talks with other clubs. The players who were still competing with their national teams at the World Cup until the very end were also not yet in Dortmund-Brackel due to vacation and will make up the performance diagnostics later. Julian Ryerson and Gregor Kobel were the last two Dortmund players to be eliminated from the World Cup in the quarterfinals with their national teams on Saturday night.
BVB Performance Testing Proceeds According to Plan
Under the guidance of Mathias Kolodziej, Head of Performance and Sports Science at Borussia Dortmund, the professional squad gradually underwent the various health checks and performance tests. As usual, the testing program was supervised by a team of medical professionals, athletic trainers, and sports scientists.
At the BVB training facility, the focus on the first day of performance diagnostics was initially on sports medicine. The first team underwent physical therapy checks and various internal medical examinations one after another. Finally, they completed the grueling stepwise lactate test along with a stress ECG. On Monday, the focus will shift to athletic training.
“Everything is going exactly as it should. The schedules are well-structured. Everyone was on time and is happy to be back here and that things are finally getting underway again,” says Mathias Kolodziej, summarizing the first part of the performance diagnostics.
Commenting on the tightly scheduled timeline and procedures during this mandatory performance assessment, the Head of Performance and Sports Science says with satisfaction: “We’ve become a very well-coordinated team by now and have our routines in place. We do everything in-house with BVB staff; we no longer use external providers.”
In fact, nearly all individual components of the performance assessment—various strength, endurance, and flexibility tests, as well as sports medicine procedures—take place at the training facility in Dortmund-Brackel. Only for the final isokinetic portion, which tests the strength of the front and back thigh muscles, will the team utilize the facilities and equipment at TU Dortmund on Monday.
First BVB Team Training Session on Tuesday
On Tuesday at 11 a.m., the first team training session in preparation for the 2026/27 season will take place.
On the following days, BVB head coach Niko Kovac will have the professional team report to the training facility in Dortmund-Brackel for additional training sessions.
On Saturday, July 18, at 5 p.m., the first preseason friendly is on the schedule, as the team travels to Stadion Niederrhein to face Regionalliga side Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Away tickets are available for purchase in RWO’s online shop.
The following week, the Black and Yellows’ preseason preparations will pick up steam. The second friendly is scheduled for July 25 (1 p.m.) against third-division side Fortuna Düsseldorf. Remaining tickets for the visitors’ section are available in the BVB online shop.
One day later, the Borussians squad will set off for the Far East on the eight-day BVB Evonik Japan Tour. In Japan, two additional friendly matches are scheduled against Cerezo Osaka (July 29, 12:00 p.m. CEST) and FC Tokyo (August 1, 12:00 p.m. CEST).
Click here for the complete BVB summer schedule.
