The first hurdle on the road back to Berlin

“Let’s not mention this old cliché,“ said Jürgen Klopp in the build-up to the cup tie, referring to the popular phrase in Germany that cup games have their own rules. He said this for good reason. For one thing, Saturday’s match is going to be the ‘game of the year’ for the Stuttgart side. And for another thing, the club from Germany’s fourth tier will have the benefit of being four games into their season which has only not given them more match practice but also more opportunities to pick up confidence.

Match practice advantage for the underdogs
“The way they have played so far, Kickers could very well also be the third division league leaders had they taken their chances in Wiesbaden and not conceded two late goals from set pieces,” said Klopp about the Swabian outfit who currently lie in fourth place in the third division, sharing the same points and goal-difference with BVB’s U23 side. Klopp said respectfully, “They are a talented side with a coach who is a native from the region.”

“The fact that they are calm, well-knit and have more match practice are important factors,“ said the Borussia Dortmund coach while also mentioning the level of competitiveness in the third division. “Every third division players could easily play in second tier – and we wouldn’t be happy to travel to a second division side and say ‘we have already won the game’, would we.”

“Same rules, but different circumstances“
The fact that his side defeated Bayern Munich on Wednesday to clinch the Supercup is of little relevance to Klopp: “The game may be played under the same rules, but it will be played under different circumstances. It’s not like we are only waiting for the second round draw. We are expecting a lot of work. But if we work hard, it will also be a tough job for Kickers.”

More than 33,000 out of the 38,000 tickets available have been sold for the match at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena. The VfB supporters’ terrace may stay closed, but it will still be a record crowd for Kickers, mainly because more than 10,000 BVB fans are expected to attend the match. “It’s not going to be a disadvantage that so many Dortmunders will be there,” said Klopp. “We have a lot of fans in the region.”

Four 3-0 wins in the last four years
Those supporters are hoping for the same convincing results as in the last four years when the Black and Yellows cruised to 3-0 wins in each of their first-round ties at Wilhelmshaven, Oberneuland, Sandhausen und Burghausen. Klopp: “We want to make sure there won’t be any smell of an upset at any time.”