Having played out a spectacular 3-3 draw against Alemannia Aachen last time out, Borussia Dortmund's U23s are next in action when they host TuS Haltern at the Rote Erde Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Coach Mike Tullberg's team will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run this year to three games and better their result from the first fixture.

That match – attended by over 1,500 spectators at the Stauseekampfbahn in Haltern – was one of the highlights of the first half of the season for the promoted outfit. It finished in a 2-2 draw that day, which was not seen as a particularly favourable result for BVB. One or two refereeing decisions, coupled with an outstanding day between the sticks for Haltern shot-stopper Oberwahrenbrock, were enough to earn TuS a point. Having fallen behind, Maximilian Hippe and Steffen Tigges both netted to put the Black & Yellows 2-1 ahead. But Haltern restored parity in the 88th minute when they were awarded a dubious penalty.

The expectations are clear ahead of the return fixture. While TuS Haltern are hovering perilously above the drop zone with 18 points – Lippstadt and Homberg are hot on the heels of coach Magnus Niemöller's charges – the Borussia Dortmund U23s are looking to move up the table and could rise to fifth place with a win. "We want to be the best U23 team by the end," said BVB boss Tullberg buoyantly. There are only two teams standing in their way – 1. FC Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach – but the duo are some distance ahead of BVB.

The match on Saturday will kick off at 15:00 CET rather than the usual time of 14:00 CET.