Borussia Dortmund's 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign will get under way when they host Eintracht Frankfurt in the match of the round on Saturday evening (18:30 CET). Fans will be back at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK for the first time in 294 days, with 25,000 spectators allowed to attend.

"We're focused on the match but we're looking forward to the stadium. We'd all be more excited if it was full. Now we have 25,000 and even from that we'll benefit a lot," said Marco Rose prior to his first home game in the BVB dugout. "I'm looking forward to the fans, the stadium and the match itself. We are hopeful that things will develop in such a way that more people will be allowed in relatively quickly and at some point we'll be able to experience this fan factor in a full SIGNAL IDUNA PARK again." Gregor Kobel is also preparing for his first home game as a Black & Yellow. "It'll be an honour to take to the field there and to pull on the jersey. I'm extremely excited about having the fans cheering for us at a home game for the first time."

The BVB fans cheered for him for the first time in Wiesbaden last Saturday. BVB ran out 3-0 winners in their first competitive match of the season away to third-tier SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. "We're at the beginning of a process. You could already recognise a few things in Wiesbaden," said Rose as he reflected on the way in which the team implemented his philosophy. "We showed very good control and looked solid off the ball. We were very lively in our play with the ball. That's what we're hoping for."

If the team tastes success on Saturday, they will have equalled a club record. BVB won each of their final seven matches in the last Bundesliga campaign and are now on the verge of levelling the club record of eight consecutive league wins, which was set in 2011/2012 (17/12/2011 to 03/03/2012). "We need to bring consistency to our game and results and come racing out of the blocks at the weekend," Rose stated.

Opponents Frankfurt lost 2-0 away to third-tier outfit Waldhof Mannheim in the first round of the DFB-Pokal and will "be doubly motivated", predicts Kobel. "It's definitely going to be a difficult match, Eintracht are a tough team that possesses quality." Head coach Rose believes Mannheim played a "good game" and deserved to win. "They'll definitely have used the week to work on a few things and to improve. They look settled and I expect them to want to show a defiant reaction here. We have to be ready to face an aggressive Eintracht."

The boss will not yet have Mats Hummels at his disposal. The central defender has already resumed ball-work in training but is still working individually. Emre Can resumed team training this week.

Reinier has now returned to Dortmund after winning an Olympic Gold Medal with Brazil. "He's in a good physical condition. Now he needs to show what he can do in every training session," Rose said.
Christina Reinke

BVB TV by 1&1: The pre-match press conference for Eintracht Frankfurt