Maaßen's charges have already processed their defeat to SV Rödinghausen on Wednesday evening and will go away to SC Bergisch Gladbach on Sunday (14:00 CET).

There was huge disappointment on Wednesday evening. In going down 2-1 to SV Rödinghausen, the Borussia Dortmund U23s recorded their first defeat of the season and only their second loss this calendar year. Enrico Maaßen's men struggled for long spells against a clever and tactically disciplined side from East Westphalia – and although Steffen Tigges pulled a goal back towards the end, it was too little too late. It was the first defeat of the season but the advantage of the jam-packed schedule at this stage of the campaign is that there is already a chance to make amends on Sunday. The match comes just days after the last one, meaning the Black & Yellows will already be looking forwards.

The next challenge comes against SC Bergisch Gladbach on Sunday (14:00 CET). Having collected only 11 points and two wins from their 14 matches, the relegation battlers sit in 19th spot. One of those victories came against their direct rivals Bonner SC last time out. BVB continue to occupy second spot and have two games in hand on leaders RW Essen, whom they trail by five points. They will be aiming to narrow that gap on Sunday, with a five-game marathon to follow in December in the lead-up to Christmas. The only previous meeting between the two clubs came almost exactly a year ago. BVB won 4-0 on 30 November 2019 thanks to goals by Taylan Duman, Chris Führich and Joseph Boyamba (2).