Samuele Inacio, from a tough start to Dortmund's Klassiker

Samuele Inacio, the eighteen‑year‑old striker of Borussia Dortmund, made his debut on 28 February against Bayern Munich but has not played in the Bundesliga since 29 August, and now he is preparing to face the Bavarians again in Saturday's Klassiker with the aim of reviving his form.

On 28 February the striker earned his first senior appearance against Bayern Munich, earning the compliments of coach Niko Kovac, who described him as “a fantastic footballer” destined for a “great career”. Kovac added that he will be the future of the club and of Italian football.

Eight months later, Inacio is preparing to challenge the Bavarians again with the goal of reviving himself and turning around a season so far lacking satisfaction both in terms of performance and minutes played.

To date he has made only four appearances in all competitions, due to strong competition in attack and the frequent tactical changes imposed by the Croatian coach.

Formations and opportunities

Inacio found space only when Kovac deployed the 3‑4‑2‑1, occupying the second‑striker role, or the 4‑2‑3‑1, where he played as right‑wing. In the 3‑4‑1‑2 and 3‑5‑2 systems, however, he was left out of the rotations.

His last appearance dates back to 14 October in a Champions League match, where he was in the starting lineup; in the Bundesliga, after coming on in the second half against Hamburg, he immediately received a red card, missing the next two games.

Having returned from suspension, Inacio made himself available again to Kovac, but the coach preferred to keep him on the bench against Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt and even left him out of the squad for the away match in Berlin.

The only joys came in the early round of the German Cup, where on 1 September he scored a brace against HeBC Hamburg.

Meanwhile Borussia Dortmund have taken Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal and have permanently signed Konstantinos Karetsas, paying €30 million to Genk, adding these names to Maximilian Beier, Marcel Sabitzer and Fabio Silva.

Inacio was called up by head coach Roberto Mancini for the Nations League, but was not used, and he awaits a new opportunity to become a key player again.

On Saturday the Klassiker between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund will be played, both teams unbeaten and at the top of the table, an ideal showcase for Inacio to win back the spotlight.