Saving the best till last – the current Bundesliga weekend ends on Sunday with an absolutely cracking match, as top team Bayern Munich will host second placed Borussia Dortmund. Both teams are still unbeaten in the current season. “We are ready to challenge them and produce a top performance,” announced Thomas Tuchel. The BVB manager also spoke about the pre-match excitement, their opponents and Pep Guardiola.

Thomas Tuchel on...
... the pre-game anticipation:

It’s just one of many challenges, playing Bayern Munich in their current form, which they’ve been in for many years now. In Europe there are only three teams performing at this level – Madrid, Barcelona and Munich. We are ready to challenge them and produce a top performance. We will need doggedness, desire and courage as well as looseness, anticipation and relaxation.

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... Bayern's most dangerous trait:

Their style has become the most dangerous thing about them. They’ve done away with slogans, threatening gestures and public predictions and created an atmosphere that exemplifies competitive sport, based on modesty together with high demands. No opponent will catch them on the wrong foot.

... Bayern's attacking formation compared to Darmstadt and Saloniki:

Opponents all play so defensively because we are so attacking. Others don’t willingly put nine in their own 18-yard box, that’s owed to our quality. Against Bayern we will now face other challenges that we’ll have to find solutions for.

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... Pep Guardiola:

When I became a coach, Pep Guardiola and Barcelona came onto the scene in which he was able to combine beautiful football with success. I learnt a lot about football from that. Barcelona under Pep was a model and the football benchmark. He is currently the best manager around.

... a foregone conclusion in the fight for the title:

It can’t be a foregone conclusion because it’s too early in the season to say. We can’t be made responsible for thinking about it. We are responsible for our performances, and so far we are very pleased with our performances, although we could have earned at least two more points. The two points that we gave up in the last minute against Darmstadt hurt a lot. We are dealing with what happens when we win, lose or draw. We aren’t setting out to start a power struggle and to face up to Bayern. We have set out to challenge on every match day.

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... the aim to get into the Champions League:

We our very demanding of ourselves, but I don’t like setting targets so far ahead in advance. If our target is to be competing with the best in Europe and getting into the Champions League, then this is a step by step process.

Report by Christina Reinke

BVB total! Video: the entire press conference with Thomas Tuchel, free to view.