On Monday the number of players missing through injury or illness was lower than it's been for a very long time. Only Kevin Grosskreutz and Erik Durm were unavailable. But the situation has changed again. Ahead of the Derby the team are particularly feeling the pinch down the right touchline.

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A disappointed Jürgen Klopp after the first game this season.

The serious injury to Lukasz Piszczek and the absences of Durm and Grosskreutz mean that Dortmund's three first-choice right backs are out of action. The chances of number four, Sokratis, making it were described by Jürgen Klopp on Thursday as "not very likely". It's possible that Oliver Kirch may have to step into the role for only the second Bundesliga match of his BVB career. On Tuesday, playing at the very highest level at Juventus, this didn't work out too badly at all.

At least the nasty little stomach virus has been contained through strict isolation measures and hasn't spread to the rest of the team. Those affected by it, Kampl, Kagawa and Subotic, seem to have recovered so that at least the latter two should be available for the derby game.

Schalke have their own injury worries, especially in defence and as with Dortmund their problems are particularly acute at right back. Atsuto Uchida, who so impressed in the opposing fixture earlier in the season, only returned to training on Thursday. If Schalke coach Roberto di Matteo's hopes ("It's looking promising") are dashed then the more offensively minded Tranquillo Barnetta may have to step into the breach again.

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A celebrating Jürgen Klopp after a dramatic win in his first ever Derby.

That could open up a small gap to allow the black and yellows to slip through the opposition's tight defensive net. “Schalke won't allow us a lot of space,” Klopp speculated. He believes BVB's opponents will display “defensive stability over 90 minutes” and warned about their high-quality counter-attacking game, saying, “That's their style of play, and it's turned them into a results machine.”

Many recent derby matches in Signal Iduna Park have been characterised by Borussia coming up against Schalke's “blue concrete wall” and in all likelihood that will happen again on Saturday. “We have to deal with them and at the same time exercise extreme caution,” Klopp said. He urged his players to turn ball possession into scoring chances and to wrap things up in the penalty box. But he also called for patience because he knows, “We won't be able to wrap things up in a matter of seconds.”

Both teams have a lot riding on this derby. Schalke badly need a result: scoring just one point from their last two matches means that Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen are now breathing down their necks. And Borussia want to take another step away from the relegation zone. “It's an important game and comes at an important time.”