Konstantinos Karetsas is out for Saturday’s Bundesliga home match against SC Paderborn, even after being discharged from the hospital, and honestly, the whole situation is just unsettling. The 18-year-old Greek international suffered some scary circulatory problems during Tuesday’s Champions League 3-2 victory over Villarreal at the Westfalenstadion. He was pulled in the first half, sat down on the pitch, and then had to be carried off on a stretcher. You just hate to see that.
Still No Answers For Karetsas’ Health Scare
While it’s a relief Karetsas has been released from the hospital, Dortmund’s sporting director Ole Book confirmed that initial examinations haven’t even established a specific cause for the issues. “He is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Book told Ruhr Nachrichten, “Further examinations are ongoing. We want to get to the bottom of this properly. The prognosis will then depend on that.” His health is clearly the club’s top priority, as it should be. Karetsas’ mother, Irena Kitsinis, mentioned to Het Nieuwsblad that it seemed related to dehydration, but the club hasn’t locked down a definitive explanation. The uncertainty is what really gets you, right? Karetsas hasn’t been back to team training since Thursday, so his absence this weekend is no surprise.
Dortmund’s Midfield Options Shrink As Caution Prevails
This is a real blow for Dortmund’s advanced midfield options. Head coach Niko Kovac already lost fellow Greek international Giannis Konstantelias to a major ACL tear in their opening Bundesliga win against Hamburger SV. Now Karetsas is sidelined with no timetable for his return. You have to respect the club’s caution, though; managing director Lars Ricken even praised the squad’s reaction to seeing their teammate go down. Book acknowledged the whole incident caused serious concern throughout the club, and they’ve made it clear they won’t even think about a return until they get to the bottom of this. Ethan Nwaneri, who stepped in for Karetsas against Villarreal, actually impressed, so he’s one of the options Kovac has for this weekend.
So, for Saturday’s Paderborn game, Dortmund needs to lock in without Karetsas. All eyes will be on how Nwaneri steps up and, more importantly, we’re all holding our breath for some real answers on Karetsas’ condition. The priority has to be his full recovery, no matter how long it takes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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