Reus sidelined as BVB prepare to round off year with final "show of strength"

"Marco definitely won't be able to play," said Lucien Favre when asked for a personnel update ahead of the trip to Sinsheim on Friday. As for winger Jadon Sancho, who was forced off with an injury during the Leipzig clash, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to feature.

Though the Black & Yellows ultimately dropped two points to the league leaders, their performance offered cause for optimism ahead of the final fixture before the winter break. "Leipzig didn't have a lot of chances; I think they suffered more against us than they have at any other point this season," said Favre. "Of course, it's tough to accept that we didn't win," added the coach, "but we're already looking ahead to what comes next."

While it has at times been a strenuous first half-season, the head of steam that Borussia have built up since the start of the month has fostered hope that they will manage to fulfil their enormous footballing potential one last time in Hoffenheim. "We had a difficult period in November in which we didn't play well at times," said sporting director Michael Zorc at the press conference. "But now we're on the right track. I'm already looking ahead to the match in Hoffenheim and the second half of the season with optimism," Zorc added.

A victory at the PreZero Arena four days before Christmas would certainly be a more than pleasing ending to what has been a mixed first half of the campaign. "We have the chance to round off the year in very positive fashion," said Zorc, adding: "We'll obviously need to put in another show of strength; the lads have already played a lot of games. We need to produce the best-possible performance on the pitch, then we can all take a well-deserved Christmas holiday."

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