Three days after scoring Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League winner against Real Betis, Konstantinos Karetsas was back on the pitch.
This time, he didn’t have to wait for an injured teammate to leave the game.
When Dortmund announced their starting eleven against Elversberg on 7 November, the 18-year-old was already in it.
For Karetsas, that was an important step. His recent performances had shown he could make a difference from the bench. Now Niko Kovač was giving him the chance to influence a Bundesliga match from the beginning.
There was one complication, though. Serhou Guirassy was injured and unavailable, so Dortmund needed a different attacking arrangement.
Karetsas had earned another opportunity. Whether he had earned a permanent place was a different question.
Over the next 67 minutes, Kovač would give us a better idea of where the youngster stood.
From an emergency substitution to a place in the starting eleven
On 4 November, Dortmund were still level at 0–0 against Betis when Guirassy suffered a thigh injury.
It was only the 34th minute. Kovač had to make an attacking change earlier than planned, and he chose Karetsas.
The teenager responded.
He helped keep the move alive for Fábio Silva’s opening goal, then scored Dortmund’s winner himself in the 72nd minute. Dortmund won 2–1, and Karetsas was named UEFA’s Player of the Match.
It was the second time in four days that he had delivered an important contribution alongside Silva.
Against Bayern Munich on 31 October, Karetsas had come off the bench and assisted Silva’s late equaliser in a 2–2 draw.
Against Betis, their roles were reversed. Silva supplied the pass and Karetsas finished.
The two moments gave Kovač something useful to think about. When Dortmund needed a different attacking option, the youngster could help connect play and threaten goal.
But both contributions came after he had entered from the bench.
Starting a match required something different. He would have to find his way into the game without the advantage of arriving against tiring opponents or an already established match situation.
Karetsas had started before, including Dortmund’s Champions League defeat at Bodø/Glimt on 14 October. He played 60 minutes that night before an ankle injury later interrupted his progress.
So the Elversberg selection wasn’t his first experience of starting responsibility.
What made it interesting was the timing.
He had returned from injury, contributed against Bayern, scored against Betis, and now found himself in Kovač’s next starting lineup.
Guirassy’s absence helped create the opening, but Kovač still had other attackers available. He selected Karetsas alongside Silva and Carney Chukwuemeka, with Maximilian Beier and Ethan Nwaneri among the alternatives on the bench.
The next task belonged to the player.
Elversberg didn’t make the opportunity easy
Dortmund were at home, but Elversberg had no intention of allowing them to settle comfortably into their attacking rhythm.
The visitors defended in compact lines, switching between a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1 without possession. They closed passing routes through the middle and looked for chances to counterattack whenever Dortmund lost the ball.
Kovač’s side struggled to break them down.
Silva attempted a long-range effort after spotting goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof away from his line. Felix Nmecha sent a header over the bar. Dortmund were finding occasional openings, but their attacks weren’t producing a breakthrough.
Half-time arrived with the score still 0–0.
Shortly after the restart, Karetsas helped create one of Dortmund’s better opportunities.
In the 49th minute, Dortmund broke forward and the teenager found Silva with a pass. Silva managed to get a shot away, but the angle was tight and Kristof made the save.
The chance didn’t produce a goal or an assist for Karetsas.
Still, it showed why Kovač had reason to use him.
Karetsas had helped carry an attacking move forward by finding a teammate in a dangerous position. It was the sort of contribution Dortmund had seen against Betis, when his passing and movement helped the attack continue after Guirassy went off.
Five minutes later, Dortmund found another way through.
Joey Veerman played a long pass towards Silva, who attacked from the left and entered the penalty area. Rather than forcing a shot through the defenders, Silva laid the ball back to Nmecha.
Nmecha struck from outside the box.
Dortmund led 1–0 in the 55th minute.
Karetsas was still playing, but this goal belonged to the combination between Veerman, Silva and Nmecha. His presence in the starting lineup didn’t mean every successful attack had to involve him.
The bigger question was what Kovač would do with his young attacker now that Dortmund had taken the lead.
Then Kovač changed his priorities
Elversberg were still dangerous.
Gregor Kobel had to save Lukas Petkov’s free-kick, and the visitors continued to threaten Dortmund’s defensive line.
By the 67th minute, Kovač had seen enough to make another change.
Julian Ryerson replaced Joane Gadou. Ramy Bensebaini came on for Karetsas.
Dortmund shifted towards a back-three or back-five structure, adding defensive protection while trying to preserve their narrow advantage.
That substitution tells us something important about how Kovač was using Karetsas.
Before kick-off, he wanted the teenager’s attacking qualities in the starting eleven.
Once Dortmund were leading and Elversberg were creating problems, he preferred another defensive player on the pitch.
It was a tactical choice, not confirmed evidence that Karetsas had disappointed his manager.
There was a trade-off. Taking off Karetsas meant losing one of the players capable of connecting midfield possession with Silva and the other forwards. In return, Dortmund gained an extra option in their defensive structure.
Four minutes later, Nmecha scored again.
Silva’s initial effort was saved, Beier’s follow-up was blocked, and Nmecha struck powerfully from distance to make it 2–0.
Karetsas was already on the bench. He couldn’t claim a direct role in that second goal.
And even with the additional defensive protection, Dortmund didn’t enjoy a comfortable finish.
Noel Futkeu pulled one back for Elversberg in the 81st minute, leaving Dortmund to protect their advantage until the final whistle.
They won 2–1.
For Karetsas, the afternoon ended without another headline-making goal. But it gave a clearer picture of what his manager currently expects from him.
The important number wasn’t on the scoresheet
According to Opta, Karetsas finished with two shots, one on target and 20 completed passes from 25 attempts.
He played 67 minutes without scoring or assisting.
Compared with his Champions League winner, those numbers were ordinary.
Yet this was a more significant test of his position in the squad.
A substitute appearance shows that a manager is prepared to use a player when the situation demands it. A starting selection means that manager has included him in the plan before the match begins.
Karetsas had now experienced both.
Earlier MATCHIQ research concluded that his contributions against Bayern and Betis had made him a genuine attacking option for Dortmund. He was no longer just a young player with potential; he had helped produce important goals in competitive matches.
The Elversberg selection strengthens that judgment.
Kovač had seen what Karetsas could do and was prepared to give him another assignment.
But the strongest reason for caution remains Guirassy’s injury.
Dortmund had also played nine matches in 29 days, giving Kovač additional reasons to manage his squad.
We cannot know whether Karetsas would have started with every senior attacker available. Nor can we establish that the Betis winner alone caused Kovač to select him.
Those are important limits, because a promising player can receive meaningful opportunities without yet becoming first choice.
For now, Karetsas has moved forward in the competition for minutes. He hasn’t finished that competition.
What happens when Dortmund have more choices?
Dortmund next face Borussia Mönchengladbach on 21 November, followed by Arsenal in the Champions League on 24 November.
Those fixtures will give Kovač further decisions to make.
If Guirassy returns, the manager will have to decide whether Karetsas still belongs in the starting attack, whether he is better used from the bench or whether a different combination offers more.
If Guirassy remains unavailable, another Karetsas start would be evidence of continued responsibility, but it would leave the question of competition against a fully fit squad unanswered.
That is what makes the Elversberg match useful.
Karetsas didn’t score. He didn’t assist. He contributed to an attacking chance and left the pitch when Kovač decided Dortmund needed greater defensive security.
Three days earlier, an injury had forced Kovač to bring Karetsas on. Against Elversberg, the manager chose him before the game began.
That is real progress.
The next step is harder: earning the same trust when Dortmund have all their attacking options available.
Sources
- Borussia Dortmund — Dortmund 2–1 Elversberg, 7 November 2026
- Bundesliga — Dortmund vs Elversberg match report
- Borussia Dortmund — Guirassy injury update, 6 November
- Borussia Dortmund — Dortmund 2–1 Real Betis, 4 November
- Opta Analyst — Konstantinos Karetsas statistics