After a successful start to the season, with victories for the U19s against Schalke 04 (3-1) and the U17s (7-0 away to SV Deutz 05), Borussia's youth teams face tough tasks in the Bundesliga this weekend. Coach Mike Tullberg's boys play at VfB Hilden on Sunday (13:00 CET), while Karsten Gorges' U17s face VfL Bochum on Saturday (11:00 CET, Youth Performance Centre Brackel).

After winning the first derby of the season, Mike Tullberg was quick to warn his players of the dangers posed by the side newly-promoted from the Niederrheinliga: "VfB Hilden played well in Leverkusen and were unfortunate to lose 3-2. We can expect an opponent who will sit deep and defend with determination while waiting for a chance to hit us on the counter. However, we have to focus on ourselves, put in the performance we expect and keep the tempo high. We have our sights clearly set on taking three points." With the exception of Isaak Nwachukwu, the entire squad is available, with attacking player Samuel Bamba set to make a comeback after months on the sidelines with an injury.

U17s to face Bochum in mini derby

U17 coach Karsten Gorges is already bemoaning two long-term injuries: Elias Benkara tore his anterior cruciate ligament at the tournament in Heilbronn, and Luke Rahmann suffered an ankle injury in Deutz that has not yet been precisely diagnosed. Bochum won their opening match against MSV Duisburg 3-1, although they had to play 35 minutes with a player down after double goal-scorer Zinedine Durmus was shown a red card. Last season, VfL got the better of BVB in both the league and the Westfalenpokal. "As we look ahead to the rest of the Bundesliga season, this will be a real marker of where we stand. I expect a close and intense game in which hopefully our footballing quality will win out in the end," said Karsten Gorges. Question marks remain over Gökdeniz Gürpüz's participation. (wiwi)