BVB’s position before the final match-day of the Bundesliga season 2016/17 is clear – defend third place and ensure direct qualify for the Champions League. The team in the home game against Werder Bremen cannot seemingly do worse than rivals TSG Hoffenheim, who play host to FC Augsburg.

As everyone is expecting a win for the Kraichgauers, BVB must win their home match. “We are always up for it at home and will make sure of third place,” promised Erik Durm. 7 out of 8 home matches have been won at home in 2017 – one match ended 0-0 (against Cologne) despite dominance and a whole host of chances. That can happen – but doesn’t repeat itself all too often.

“We want to continue our good run. Then we are third and have achieved our target,” said Durm. His colleagues Marcel Schmelzer and Marco Reus pushed the boat out even further – a good result and performance against Werder Bremen would be a good springboard for the final a week later against Eintracht Frankfurt. “We can use our home match against Werder Bremen as a platform for the cup final and the fact that we don’t want to go through the qualification process – then it’s all done and dusted,” said Reus. Schmelzer added: “We don’t want to end up in the play-offs, and then we have the final coming up. We want to secure third place in the league and then win the cup and take the trophy home to Dortmund”.

In Augsburg, the Black and Yellows wouldn’t have even been able to make sure of third place as Hoffenheim won in Bremen. In the meantime TSG were all level not only on points but also on goals with BVB, which would have meant that a win against Werder Bremen wouldn’t automatically ensure third place. Yet the Black and Yellows go into the final game of the season with a four goal cushion and only partially have to keep an eye out (hopefully) on the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, where the score will appear on the score-board.

"Nothing has changed for us"

“Nothing has changed for us. We are in third place. That’s what counts,” said Roman Bürki after the 1-1 draw against Augsburg, which had few chances to speak of and a “dry pitch” (Durm) – “but that shouldn’t be an excuse”. Matthias Ginter; “we had many half-chances where the last pass was missing, the cross didn’t materialise or the goalkeeper kept us out”.

The trend is right, in any case – Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in five matches, have taken 11 out of a possible 15 points and have their season’s target “in their own hands”, as Schmelzer said – “for that we have to win our home match against Werder Bremen”.

Boris Rupert