Niko Kovac has confirmed Borussia Dortmund will have to make do without Serhou Guirassy for this weekend's fixture with Elversberg after the striker sustained a thigh injury. Guirassy, who is Dortmund's top scorer this season with eight goals across all competitions, was replaced in the 34th minute of their win over Real Betis in the Champions League.His replacement, Konstantinos Karetsas, netted the winning goal for the Bundesliga giants, and he looks set to play a crucial role at Signal Iduna Park this Saturday. Dortmund sit level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table, with this their final outing before the November international break. Guirassy had been due to link up with Guinea this month, but Kovac revealed conversations were ongoing about his number nine remaining in Germany to continue his recovery."Serhou has a strain. He won't be able to play," Kovac told reporters. "We'll see how we handle this over the next few days."We're in close communication with the [Guinea] federation. It looks like he won't be travelling and will stay here. But we'll discuss that further with the federation."Kovac was unsure about when Guirassy would be fit to return, but he was able to confirm that midfielder Marcel Sabitzer was back in contention to face Elversberg. Sabitzer, who was the match-winner in the DFB-Pokal last week with his direct free kick against Werder Bremen, was sidelined in the Champions League in midweek with illness.The Dortmund boss was also on hand to discuss Maximilian Beier, who was surprisingly left out of Jurgen Klopp's Germany squad for their final Nations League fixtures.Beier has two goals and two assists across 15 appearances in all competitions, while his 14 chances created are the fifth-highest tally within Dortmund's ranks this season. "Of course, it's very disappointing for Maxi," Kovac added. "I would have liked him to have been there, too."He will take it. He will become stronger from it and will learn from it. He will get his chance. I'm convinced of that."PLAYERS TO WATCHBorussia Dortmund – Fabio SilvaSilva scored his third goal of the Bundesliga season in his seventh appearance, surpassing his total from the previous campaign (two in 28 games).He has recorded 10 of his 12 direct goal involvements in the Bundesliga as a substitute (four goals, six assists) – no other player in the league has registered as many direct goal involvements as a substitute since the start of last season, though he is likely to get a chance from the start because of Guirassy's injury. Elversberg – Maurice KrattenmacherKrattenmacher is Elversberg's top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with four goals, matching his total from 54 second-tier appearances for Ulm and Hertha Berlin in just eight Bundesliga games.Among all U23 players in the Bundesliga this season, only RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa has scored as many goals as him, with no one scoring more.MATCH PREDICTION: BORUSSIA DORTMUND WINDortmund have faced Elversberg just once in a competitive match, winning 4-1 away in the second round of the 1981-82 DFB-Pokal in October 1981. However, BVB have failed to win any of their last four first-time meetings against a top-flight side (D1 L3), with their last such victory coming in a 4-0 win at Ingolstadt in August 2015.Kovac's side have, however, started a Bundesliga season unbeaten in their first eight games for only the fourth time, after 2002-03, 2018-19 and 2023-24. But three of their last four Bundesliga matches have ended in a draw, having previously enjoyed a run of six consecutive league victories across two seasons.BVB have also scored just two set-piece goals in the Bundesliga this season, only Schalke have netted fewer (one), with their 14% share of set-piece goals being the joint-lowest in the league (level with Leipzig).With 13 points from eight matches, Elversberg are enjoying the best start to a Bundesliga season by a newcomer since Leipzig in 2016-17, who had 18 points at this stage. Their 16 goals after eight games have only been bettered by one Bundesliga newcomer since the 1970s, which was Hoffenheim in 2008-09 (21).Elversberg have failed to score in three consecutive away league matches for the first time in their history in the top two tiers, with three goalless away games being a joint-high in the Bundesliga this season, and they come up against the best defence in Dortmund here. But a fast start could be key. Elversberg have scored five goals in the opening 15 minutes of Bundesliga matches this season, a tally bettered only by Eintracht Frankfurt (six).OPTA WIN PROBABILITYBorussia Dortmund – 68.9%Draw – 17%Elversberg – 14.1%