In the lead-up to the Bundesliga game away to FC Bayern Munich on Saturday (kick-off 18:30 CET), sporting director Sebastian Kehl answered questions in a media round at the BVB training ground.

Sebastian Kehl on…

…the match against FC Bayern: "We can take a huge step in the table this weekend because we're playing against a direct competitor. The team in first is playing against the team in second. It'll be an exciting match which everyone is looking forward to. It's great that we put ourselves in this position last week. The fact that it's still so exciting overall shows the league's attractiveness. Because when I look beyond our borders, the other leagues are almost decided."

…the mood within the team: "I know the boys are all looking forward to the game because we have a great opportunity. We can go there with confidence. We've earned that over the last few weeks. We're much more stable, much more solid. Of course, we know that FC Bayern also want to take advantage of this situation at home on Saturday."

…the approach on Saturday: "That said, we must go there with courage, with the proper respect that is required, but also with lots of passion, great fighting spirit and courage. Those are also some of the traits that set our squad apart. We've scored a lot of goals and conceded few goals. We're on a really good track and I see little reason to stop us from showing that in Munich this weekend."

…the Germany internationals: "We made a conscious decision in the summer to bring in more German players. We're incredibly delighted that Emre Can, who was an integral component of the national side for many years, has now earned a return to the national team. Marius Wolf had played a very good season to date and also did a lot of good things on his first international appearance. It's important for us to have a big group in the national team. If you go through the lads who have stayed behind now, that group can get even bigger."

…Nico Schlotterbeck's withdrawal from the national team: "Nico has withdrawn from the national team due to muscular problems. We also examined him again yesterday. He's now undergoing treatment but I have a good feeling that it'll work out for the weekend."