Pre-Match Report
U19s: Mike Tullberg praises Dinamo and wants to pick up points in Zagreb
Following their unlucky 3-2 defeat at the hands of Sturm Graz, BVB occupy 10th place in the table with seven points while DInamo are in 24th place with four points. Croatia's serial champions lost a hard-fought opening match against FC Bayern by a 2-1 scoreline before losing 3-2 to Salzburg, but then won 1-0 at home to AS Monaco and played out a 2-2 draw with Slovan Bratislava. "A highly talented team in footballing terms that always tries to find creative solutions and are not significantly superior to us physically like, for example, Brugge or Sturm Graz," said Mike Tullberg of the opposition, who are on par with BVB when it comes to average age.
Zagreb boast one of the most recognised football academies in Europe. Top players such as Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Dejan Lovren, Vedran Corluka, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Soldo, Dario Simic and Zvonimir Boban came through the club's youth ranks and then joined top European clubs – in some cases for hefty transfer fees. "Dinamo have been known for many years for their outstanding development of talented footballers,’ said Tullberg, in acknowledgement of the youth academy's reputation.
Preparations characterised by personnel problems
A victory in the Croatian capital would see Borussia book their ticket for the round of 32. A defeat, however, would see Dinamo draw level with them on points, leaving BVB to face an all-or-nothing scenario in their final match against Barcelona on Wednesday 11 December.
The teams from places 1 to 22 will qualify for the knockout round, in which the clubs from 1st to 6th will face the teams that finished between places 17 and 22 in the rankings. The teams that finished from 7th to 16th will go up against the 10 winners of the Domestic Champions Path league phase, which is played in parallel.
Borussia's preparations for the match in Zagreb have been overshadowed by problems. Mike Tullberg had only 13 outfield players at his disposal in training on Monday. Diego Ngambia has sustained another injury and will be sidelined, as will Jonas Feddersen. In addition, Ousmane Diallo must serve a suspension for an accumulation of bookings. Pharell Kegni is not eligible for this competition. Defensive leader Filippo Mane, usually a regular fixture, is suffering from a calf injury. Whether Almugera Kabar or Cole Campbell will reinforce the squad will only be determined on game day and will depend on the situation in the first-team squad.
Despite all the concerns and question marks over the line-up, the Black & Yellow camp is confident. The dress rehearsal against Meppen in the DFB-Nachwuchsliga went well (3-0). "We cannot influence the circumstances. But if you win away to Real Madrid, you should also pick up at least a point in Zagreb," declared Mike Tullberg combatively. (wiwi)