safc.com take a look at the ones to watch within the Borussia Dortmund ranks ahead of Friday’s friendly at the Cashpoint Arena, Austria.
Marc Bartra
Borussia Dortmund have a Mats Hummels-shaped hole to fill and Marc Bartra is the man tasked with doing exactly that. The 25-year-old defender joined Barcelona at the age of 11 and progressed through the club’s esteemed Las Masia academy before joining the B-side in 2009. In 2010 he made his first-team debut against Atletico Madrid before joining the squad on a permanent basis and playing 16 games during the 2012-13 season. He penned a new three-year deal in 2014 and made 25 appearances as the team won the treble during the 2014-15 campaign, winning La Liga five times, the Copa de Rey three times and the UEFA Champions League on two occasions during his time at the club. Capped ten times by Spain, Bartra moved to Dortmund in June seeking regular first-team football.
Emre Mor
Big things are expected of Emre Mor following his move to the Westfalenstadion. The 19-year-old made his Dortmund debut in a 4-1 win over Manchester United in the International Champions Cup, and he certainly impressed with a number of dazzling runs sparking immense praise from pundits and fans alike. Born in Brønshøj, Mor is the son of a Turkish father and Macedonian mother, but he has spent all of his 18 years living in his native Denmark. Mor crafted his trade at the famous Lyngby academy spending nine years there before joining FC Nordsjaelland and bursting onto the professional scene. A winger by trade, Mor opted to play for Turkey despite making 22 appearances for Denmark at youth level, and he impressed at Euro 2016 to complete a meteoric rise.
Mario Gotze
In June 2014 Mario Gotze scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, but two years later the immensely talented forward is seeking redemption. After becoming one the most sought-after players in world football following his exploits with Dortmund, Gotze moved to Bayern Muncih in 2013 for a fee of €37m but despite winning three Bundesliga titles at the Allianz arena his spell was largely unproductive. He failed to hold down a first-team place spending the majority of his time out injured or on the bench, but Gotze has age on his side and at just 24 he hopes to rekindle the magic he conjured during his initial spell at the Westfalenstadion. His first competitive game will come on August 14 against former club Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup, and what better way to return than by downing Dortmund’s bitter rivals.
