Pre-Match Report
Back from the break, straight into a top match: BVB visit VfB
The scenario
Before the international break, BVB came from 2-0 down at home against HSV to secure a 3-2 victory. It was their 18th win of the season and took their points tally to 61. Only one team in second place had accumulated more points at this stage of a season: BVB in the 2015/16 season (64). “We need to show over 90 minutes what we showed against HSV in the second half. That will be crucial, because if we don’t manage that, it will certainly be much harder to get anything from the game,” said BVB head coach Niko Kovac ahead of the trip to Stuttgart. “We want to win the game. Second against third – that’s an interesting match and, of course, we want to win it.”
Personnel matters
“Everyone is fit,” says Kovac of the players currently available for selection. Part of the squad stayed in Dortmund, whilst the other part was away on international duty – and successfully so. “The Turks and the Swedes have qualified for the World Cup. That’s always nice for our players. It’s motivation, it’s joy, it’s a goal they have in their sights. That’s why we’re happy for the countries, but also, of course, for our players.”
Filippo Mane has taken part in elements of team training but is not yet fully back in the fold. Captain Emre Can (cruciate ligament rupture) is out, as is Felix Nmecha, who sustained a lateral ligament injury in his knee during the match against Hamburg. Kovac outlines several options to replace the regular starter. “We have Jule, a player who can replace him. We have Carney. We have one or two options,” said Kovac, referring to Julian Brandt and Carney Chukwuemeka, who made his international debut for Austria and scored straight away: “He is certainly highly motivated and ready for the weekend. But I don’t want to make the decision today; I’ll wait until Saturday.”
The opposition
Just like BVB, VfB have already surpassed their total points tally from the entire previous season (50): Stuttgart have collected 53 points so far. Thanks to their 5-2 away win in Augsburg, the Swabians have climbed back up to third place for the first time since Matchday 8. The top scorer is Deniz Undav, who has already equalled his personal Bundesliga season record with 18 goals. The striker has scored in six consecutive matches. “We can recall the reverse fixture, where he scored three goals. So we’re well aware of his qualities. And we don’t want to see those this weekend,” says Kovac, recalling the 3-3 draw in the home match last November.
However, Dortmund’s manager does not want to single out Deniz Undav alone: “They are a team to be taken very seriously, one that has gelled well over the last few years. They have been able to build on their success consistently, and that is no coincidence. For us, that means we really have to give it our all.”
Players with a past
Four current Borussia players have previously worn the VfB shirt: Gregor Kobel, Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy moved directly from Stuttgart to Dortmund, whilst Alex Meyer took a detour via Jahn Regensburg. Five of the Stuttgart players have a history with Dortmund: whilst Stefan Drljaca, Pascal Stenzel, Atakan Karazor and Chris Führich mainly played for the youth teams and the U23s, Dan-Axel Zagadou was part of the first-team squad.
Christina Reinke