Borussia Dortmund travel to Frankfurt to play their next away game without Ilkay Gündogan, whose knee is injured, Julian Weigl, who is serving a suspension, nor Lukas Piszczek. Frankfurt have recovered form again recently. Thomas Tuchel: "We are looking forward to it, and we feel ready."

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"We are expecting an impassioned stadium and a motivated Eintracht team", said the BVB Manager prior to the last away game of the season. The men from Frankfurt have not only given themselves hope by winning in two derby matches, in both of which they trailed before coming out on top, but also confidence for the fight to stay in the division.

Tuchel maintains that under their new manager, Nico Kovac, the 'Hessen' have "completely changed their style of play", and forewarns of a "great amount of sprinting. They can be very dangerous without the ball." In a 5-4-1 formation combined with a willingness to put in the kilometres, the Frankfurt men will be closing down space to keep the game tight, making the opponent's task a tough one. Tuchel highlights the example of Eintracht's close 0-1 defeat in Munich: "An exceptional goal was required there to break through Frankfurt." This, however, only heightens Tuchel's anticipation of the game coming up at the sold-out Commerzbank-Arena: "We are looking forward to it, and we feel ready."

"We would be making our first mistake"

The encounter with Frankfurt has not lost any of its importance, coming as it does two weeks before the DFB Cup Final. Quite the opposite, in fact. The team is looking to break its own points record from 2012 and the manager does not want their rhythm to be disrupted. "Whoever saw us in training, they know that we have maintained our focus. If we revealed our strategy for the game in Berlin now, then we would be making our first mistake", according to Tuchel.

Alongside Ilkay Gündogan, Lukasz Piszczek is also unavailable for selection for the game in Frankfurt. The right back was substituted as a precautionary measure during the 3-0 home victory over Wolfsburg before a potential muscle pull or something even worse could happen. Tuchel: "He is training alone currently, but will definitely return to full training next week." (br)

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