Despite the difficult personnel situation, Borussia Dortmund are travelling to Sinsheim full of optimism and with a clear goal in mind. "We are confident we can be the first team to beat Hoffenheim in the league," declared Thomas Tuchel.

A tactical tinkerer by nature, the head coach is completely in his element as he looks to "craft" a team capable of holding their own and taking all three points when the Black and Yellows face TSG Hoffenheim on Friday evening (kick-off 20:30 CET).

Question marks remain about Erik Durm, Marc Bartra and Shinji Kagawa, while eight players will definitely be sidelined. But as of midday today, there were no plans to borrow players from the U23s or U19s. "We still intend to make use of our squad," said Tuchel, who emphasised: "I am excited about those who are stepping into the breach. They all have my full confidence."

"We believe we can be the first" 

While the BVB boss is expecting to face an "aggressive and brave" opponent in Sinsheim on Friday, he ultimately does not foresee them sitting deep as they "absolutely want to win – which isn't always the case in matches against us."

It therefore has the potential to develop into an open game with chances at both ends. "We need to give it all we've got and want to win there," said Tuchel, who continued: "We're a team that attacks, finds solutions, dominates the opposition and wants to score a lot of goals."
Boris Rupert