Confirmed Lineups: Rot-Weiss Essen vs. Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

With just under an hour to go until kick-off, Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač has announced his starting eleven to take on DfB-Pokal opponents Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round.

In their first competitive game of the 2025/26 campaign, BVB are heavily tipped to advance. However, 3.Liga side Essen already have two league fixtures under their belt and will be hoping to catch the Black and Yellows cold at the Hafenstraße.

Tonight, BVB start with the ever-reliable Gregor Kobel between the sticks. Head coach Kovač opts for a regular three-man backline with young Filippo Mané selected alongside Waldemar Anton and Rami Bensebaini.

Moving into the middle third, Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson take to the flanks either side of a central midfield trio comprised of Marcel Sabitzer, Felix Nmecha and elder statesman Pascal Groß.

Finally, a two-man strike force which boasts lethal goal-scorer Serhou Guirassy alongside the pace of Maximilian Beier rounds off the visiting team.

Meanwhile, Essen set up in a 5-3-2 formation under head coach Uwe Koschinat with Jakob Golz minding the goal, Klaus Gjasula in midfield and a double-pronged attack of Arslan and Safi.

Official lineups below:

Rot-Weiss Essen (5-3-2): Golz - Hofmann, Alonso, Schultz (c), Brumme, Kraulich - Moustier, Gjasula, Mizuta - Arslan, Safi

Borussia Dortmund (3-5-2): Kobel (c) - Mané, Anton, Bensebaini - Ryerson, Groß, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Svensson - Guirassy, Beier