Dortmund go for five wins from five as Füllkrug returns with Bremen

Borussia Dortmund open matchday 5 at home to Werder Bremen on Friday (20:30 CEST) aiming for a fifth Bundesliga win in five games. Niko Kovač's side are the only team with a perfect record, the club's first such start since Thomas Tuchel's 2015/16 season.

What is at stake

Dortmund have 12 points, two more than Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg, but both chasers have a better goal difference (Bayern +12, Freiburg +9, Dortmund +7). Anything less than a win on Friday would let either of them go top with a victory: Bayern play at Augsburg on Saturday, Freiburg host Schalke on Sunday. Werder are eighth on seven points, their best tally after four matchdays since promotion in 2022.

Form

Dortmund beat Hamburger SV 2-0, Hoffenheim 3-2 away, Paderborn 3-0 and Stuttgart 1-0 away, where Maximilian Beier scored the winner. Their two goals conceded are the joint-fewest in the league, level with Bayern. Werder lost 4-1 at Freiburg on the opening day, then beat RB Leipzig 3-1, drew 1-1 in Cologne and beat Augsburg 3-2.

Dortmund's doubts

The four-match international window has left its mark. "From the club's point of view, that is totally unacceptable. It's not just about the sick and injured – we also haven't had any rhythm at all for two and a half weeks," Kovač said on Wednesday. Nico Schlotterbeck injured his ankle with Germany and is still training individually: "We'll see whether he is ready for Friday." Julian Ryerson came back from Norway with rib problems. Konstantinos Karetsas and Daniel Svensson have colds, Carney Chukwuemeka has a muscle problem and Ramy Bensebaini was still playing for Algeria on Tuesday.

Füllkrug's return

Niclas Füllkrug, 33 and on loan at Werder, faces Dortmund for the first time since leaving in 2024. In his one season there, 2023/24, he scored 12 goals in 29 Bundesliga games. He has scored in each of Werder's last three league games and has never scored in four Bundesliga games in a row – nor has he ever scored against Dortmund, in seven meetings. Serhou Guirassy, by contrast, has scored in four of his last five Bundesliga games against Bremen.

"Of course he will be motivated. He's looking forward to returning to Dortmund," Werder coach Daniel Thioune said on Thursday.

Werder's team news

Felix Agu is out with a calf injury picked up in the 7-0 friendly defeat at Twente Enschede on 2 October, and Skelly Alvero is also sidelined with a calf problem. Thioune said he expects goalkeeper Karl Hein, who left Estonia's squad early, to play; if not, Alexander Schlager would make his Bundesliga debut. Of the Twente defeat, Thioune warned: "With that attitude we won't hold our own in the Bundesliga or pick up points, no matter who the opponent is."