Borussia Dortmund will host Juventus at the Signal Iduna Park on Sunday for a friendly game that will also celebrate the farewell of former German defender Mats Hummels who retired at the end of the 2024-25 season after playing one season in Italy at AS Roma. Hummels made 508 appearances for the German giants in all competitions, winning the 2011 and 2012 Bundesliga titles plus the 2012 and 2021 DFB Cups for the Black and Yellow. He also played a key part in Germany’s 2014 World Cup win. BVB managing director Carsten Cramer spoke on the matter and said: “You could really see how happy he is with the plan. He’ll play from the start because he wants to run out with the team.”
Here are the storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
Why Juventus are struggling this summer
The Bianconeri are going through some changes this summer after the Italian team sacked manager Thiago Motta in March after a disappointing 2024-25 season and appointed former club defender Igor Tudor who was also confirmed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. However, there were more changes happening at the club as former sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli was also sacked at the end of the season and the Italian ownership appointed Damien Comolli as the new technical director, who is now leading the new cycle.
However, Juventus are still facing some issues when it comes to the summer business as they have mainly confirmed some of the loans of the past season, including the permanent transfer of Francisco Conceicao, signed free agent Jonathan David and Joao Mario from Porto. The main problem for Comolli, which will also determine the judgement of his work in his first summer in control of the club, is the contract situation of Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Juventus are looking for a new striker, but Vlahovic needs to leave before to make it happen. The Serbian player has a contract running until 2026 and has no intention to accept Juventus’ contract proposal, and the club must sell him before the end of the summer window to avoid the risk of losing him as a free agent next year.
Rumors about possible interest coming from AC Milan have slowed down in the recent weeks, and it looks like they will go for another option, and this is why time is not helping Juventus to solve the situation before the summer window closes on Sept. 1.
The Italian club have also tried to include Vlahovic in a deal that could bring former AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali back in the Italian Serie A, but it doesn’t look like an easy deal, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, In general, Juventus need to find a solution for the player in the short time, especially because the 2025-26 Serie A season is around the corner as the first matchday will kick off on August 23, and after that, there won’t be much time to sell him and find a new striker who can join David in the attack for the new season.
How to watch BVB vs. Juventus, odds
- Date: Sunday, August 23 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Signal Iduna Park — Dortmund, Germany
- Live stream: CBSSN
- Odds: BVB +125; Draw +245; Juventus +155
What to know about the match
This is an important test ahead of the new season for both Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, as the Bundesliga and the Italian Serie A will resume in less than two weeks. Both teams also played the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer and are now facing the consequences of the tournament, with the preseason starting later compared to their competitors in the leagues. However, while Niko Kovac’s side is almost done with their transfer business, the Bianconeri are struggling with some players that are still looking for a new club in the current summer transfer window. One of them was Timothy Weah, who left the Italian team after two years and joined French side Olympique Marseille this week.
Possible lineups
BVB XI: Gregor Kobel; Filippo Mane, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini; Julian Ryerson, Pascal Gross, Marcel Sabitzer, Daniel Svensson; Maximilian Beier, Jobe Bellingham; Serhou Guirassy.
Juventus XI: Michele Di Gregorio; Lloyd Kelly, Gleison Bremer, Pierre Kalulu; Filip Kostic, Fabio Miretti, Teun Koopmeiners, Manuel Locatelli; Nico Gonzalez, Francisco Conceicao; Jonathan David.