Roman Bürki will keep his place between the sticks for tomorrow evening's DFB Cup tie with Hertha BSC. The decision was announced by Thomas Tuchel following a discussion with Roman Weidenfeller, who has been BVB's first-choice goalkeeper in the competition.

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The 35-year-old veteran was quick to back his boss' call. "He was disappointed not to be playing but he understands. If it was the other way round, he would've wanted it too," explained Tuchel, who is looking to give Bürki more playing time following a lengthy spell on the sidelines recovering from a broken hand. The Swiss has only been back in action for ten days, with Weidenfeller having taken his place in the Black and Yellow goal between mid-November and the first match of 2017.

Mario Götze sat out training on Tuesday with muscular problems. "It will be a close call as to whether he features," said Tuchel, who has Gonzalo Castro available again as "an alternative" for the defensive midfield position in his 4-1-4-1 system. Concerning Götze, the coach added: "We mustn't overexert him. What will help is rest, patience and hard work. There are no arguments, no misgivings, no animosity. Others currently have a bit more self-confidence. He'll get his chance and show the quality he has. We're convinced of that."

Another who will miss out on Wednesday is Sebastian Rode, who is suffering from groin problems. Nuri Sahin "has made a partial return to team training," said Tuchel, who continued: "But we're still in the process of reintegrating him." (br)