Crisis: Ryerson and Couto doubts for Dortmund's opening Bundesliga fixture | OneFootball

With Yan Couto stretchered off the Hafenstraße pitch in 1-0 win over Rot-Weiss Essen, concerns of a defensive crisis have started to grow.

Now in addition to Couto, Julian Ryerson is also in danger of missing Borussia Dortmund's first Bundesliga against St. Pauli on Saturday.

The Norwegian suffered a blow to his calf and was therefore unable to play or feature on Niko Kovač's bench in Essen.

Ryerson's last involvement on the pitch came during a 71-minute performance in a friendly with Juventus on August 10.

As for Couto, the Brazilian will undergo a complete medical examination on his right knee to understand the severity of his situation.

While there is still hope that one or both full-backs could return for the weekend, it's very much a race against time, as Sky reports.

Borussia Dortmund's personnel in defence is already limited; Niklas Süle, Emre Can, and Nico Schlotterbeck are unavailable through injury.