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Pre-Match Report

U19 Hopes for First Youth League Win at the Arctic Circle

A little over a month after their 2-3 home loss to Villarreal CF, BVB’s U19 team is set to play its second match in the group stage of the UEFA Youth League. On Wednesday (11 a.m.), coach Felix Hirschnagl’s team will face Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt on the road. The match beyond the Arctic Circle promises to be a special challenge—and not just from a sporting perspective. The trip to the far north is also something extraordinary for everyone involved. “It’s a bit of an adventure, and we’re looking forward to it. It’s fascinating that we get to go there to play soccer,” says Hirschnagl.

The scenario

Preparations for the second Youth League match were anything but ideal. After all, it has been more than four weeks since Dortmund’s U19 team played its last competitive match. To get back into the rhythm of competition after the long international break, the team played a friendly against AZ Alkmaar in early October, which ended in a 1-1 draw. “We would have liked to have had another league match last weekend to see where we stand. But we’ll take it as it comes,” commented Hirschnagl.

Despite the difficult starting point, the BVB coach is looking forward to the upcoming challenge with confidence. After the unfortunate 2-3 opening-match loss to Villarreal—in which Dortmund took the lead twice—the team is now aiming for its first win. “We played a decent game against Villarreal and learned from it. Now we’ll try to do better and hold our own even when the opponent is playing better than we are,” says Hirschnagl.

The venue adds an extra layer of excitement: The U19 team will play in the same stadium where the professional teams from both clubs will face off just a few hours later. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. to give the organizers enough time to prepare the arena.

Roster 

Borussia Dortmund has registered a 40-player roster with UEFA for the Youth League. In addition to talents from the U19 team, the roster also includes players from the U23 and U17 teams. A decision on whether Hirschnagl will be able to call upon the registered First team players—Samuele Inacio, Mathis Albert, Filippo Mane, and Luca Reggiani—will be made at the last minute.

If the four young players are unavailable, the lineup is likely to be largely similar to that of the opening match against Villarreal. In that game, three players from the U23 team—Aaron Held, Tim Degener, and Fadi Zarqelain—were in the starting lineup. Hirschnagl will definitely have to do without Lenni Strößner, who returned from national team duty with muscle issues. Keron Hagemann’s availability is also in doubt due to health problems. 

Opponent

Youth development is a top priority at Bodø/Glimt. As recently as 2010, the club was on the brink of bankruptcy; today, its professional team ranks among Norway’s most successful. Four league titles in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024, as well as the club’s first-ever appearance in the Champions League last year, underscore its rise to prominence. A key component of this success is the consistent development of young, local talent. Just how sustainable this approach is was evident last December: Eight players from the club’s own youth system were part of the professional squad that held Borussia Dortmund to a 2–2 draw at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.

In the Youth League, however, Bodø/Glimt has so far been unable to replicate the team’s success. In their debut last year, they suffered a decisive 0–4 loss in Dortmund. It was already their fifth defeat in five games. With zero points, the Norwegians were eliminated, finishing second-to-last in the 36-team standings. The start to the current season has also been sobering: On September 10, Bodø/Glimt lost 1–6 to FC Bayern Munich. For Hirschnagl, however, these results are no reason to underestimate the task ahead: “I expect an opponent that will demand everything from us. They’ll challenge us relentlessly—anything is possible. We’ll definitely have to give it our all to come away with three points.” 

Busy Schedule

After the long break from competitive play, the BVB talents face a grueling schedule that brings not only athletic challenges but also plenty of travel. Just three days after the away game in Norway, Dortmund will kick off the second half of the season in the DFB Youth League. On October 17 (1:00 p.m.), the U19s will host Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. There won’t be much time to catch their breath afterward. Their next international challenge comes as early as October 20 with an away game against Sabah FK in Baku. The trip to the Azerbaijani capital—with a flight time of just over four hours—is even longer than the trip to Norway. This makes a victory at the Arctic Circle all the more important for BVB—not least as a boost for the hectic schedule in the coming days.

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