Lucien Favre had an interesting way of assessing his side's next opponents: "They won 2-0 against Freiburg, who had previously beaten Leipzig 3-0. And they beat Hertha 4-1 – while we could only draw 2-2." The BVB boss is by no means trying to pass Fortuna the favourites' tag ahead of their Bundesliga meeting tomorrow; he is simply stating in no uncertain terms that the newcomers must not be underestimated.

Fortuna's recent victories over Hertha Berlin and SC Freiburg, as well as their headline-grabbing 3-3 draw in Munich, have bridged the gap to mid-table and, while they currently sit in 16th, they are only three points adrift of 13th place. Favre added: "They had seven or eight clear chances in the defeat against Mainz." And they have "a clear plan", according to Michael Zorc, who continued: "They're very good at self-assessment. They know what they can do and what they can't do." They base their entire game on this. They make it difficult for the opposition to create chances and they have quick guys up front who can pose a danger on the counter-attack. So we'll need to be solid at the back."

Favre will set his team up accordingly to deal with their style of play. BVB will continue to be without Dan-Axel Zagadou and, "as for Jakob (editor's note: Bruun Larsen), it will remain undecided until tonight". The Dane was substituted with knee problems in the derby in Gelsenkirchen. It is to be expected that the coach will make one or two personnel changes in the final English week before Christmas.
Boris Rupert

BVB TV: The press conference with Lucien Favre and Michael Zorc