“We couldn't implement our plan and that's annoying for all of us,” said Ilkay Gündogan following the Champions League defeat in London. “We really wanted to take the momentum into what is for us the more important game in Frankfurt on Sunday.”

Up to now Borussia Dortmund have lost each of their Bundesliga matches following their previous four Champions League victories. So BVB are naturally hoping things will work the other way round this time. “Maybe after our slip-up in the Champions League now is the time we make the breakthrough in the Bundesliga and on Sunday actually put what we'd planned to do in London into practice. We just weren't able to put our game plan into action.”

After a long injury lay-off Gündogan is coming back into form and in many people's opinion he was Dortmund's best player on what was on the whole a disappointing evening. The midfield playmaker has big hopes for the coming weeks, explaining: “We've got far too few points in the Bundesliga. Our goal up to the winter break is to claw back as many points as possible, ideally all 15. That still wouldn't put us in a great position but it would be a good springboard on which to prepare for the second half of the season.”

Frankfurt is one of Borussia's five remaining matches leading up to the winter break.