Rotate your man or place him in the starting eleven? The assignment with which Thomas Tuchel is charged is certainly a delicate one. It is not just the upcoming opposition causing brows to furrow, but the subsequent rapid succession of games after Saturday's game.

After a topsy-turvy start to the season, with the deserved, though somewhat laboured, 2-1 victory against Mainz, and the as much unexpected as unnecessary 0-1 defeat in Leipzig, the team put in a more than convincing performance in Warsaw this Wednesday. "Never change a winning team" suggests a piece of inherited English footballing wisdom, whose veracity has yet to be subjected to thorough testing.

The home game against Darmstadt 98 (Saturday, 15.30 CET) is the third in a series of seven matches which includes such stand-out fixtures as Madrid, Wolfsburg and Leverkusen. "We are conscious of the both the number and the timing of the matches; we will get the full package", said Thomas Tuchel, who clarified: "Wednesday/Saturday is not a problem. Wednesday/Saturday/Tuesday, however, is more demanding. Wednesday/Saturday/Tuesday/Friday reduces recovery time to an absolute minimum during successive weeks that incorporate midweek fixtures." And this is the rhythm according to which BVB must play. Four games in ten days.

As such, changes to the team are likely, though who goes where is idle speculation at this point. Thomas Tuchel himself remained undecided on Friday afternoon. "We will take into account the impression we get during the final training session when deciding whether changes will be made, and, if so, how many."

It is less probable that André Schürrle will be present. The medial collateral ligament strain sustained in Leipzig had still not completely healed by today. "It is a tight call. The feeling prior to training was in any case pessimistic", according to Tuchel.

The manager refused to be drawn on whether Mario Götze will play his first home game for Borussia since the 20 April 2013, after convincing performances in Leipzig and Warsaw: "Mario is approaching top-form and optimal fitness levels. His progress is clear to see."

More concrete is the picture Tuchel paints of their forthcoming opponents: "We expect Darmstadt to be very compact, very tight, with a clear focus on defence. That they can profit from playing the role of underdog is something they have already proven. They are an awkward team to play against and remain unpredictable."

Borussia experienced that themselves one year ago, drawing 2-2 against them. Tuchel: "Our memories of the first fixture against them last season are not so sweet, and we would like to improve on that performance."
Boris Rupert