Seven victories in seven friendlies, plus two 2-0 wins in the Super Cup and DFB Cup – that makes it nine out of nine for the 09ers. But none of that will matter on Saturday, when Borussia Dortmund host Augsburg in the opening round of the 57th Bundesliga season.

"Next week, we'll mix it up again and work hard on a few things. Our preparations, as the coach has repeatedly emphasised, are not yet over," said Sebastian Kehl on Saturday following the 4-0 victory over Preußen Münster, the final friendly fixture of the summer for BVB, whose players went over to salute the fans at the end. The team that was fielded at the Preußenstadion consisted of players who had seen either little or no action in the comfortable 2-0 DFB Cup victory over KFC Uerdingen in Düsseldorf the night before.

However, the head of the licensed player division was not entirely satisfied with the display in Münster. "It was important for everyone to get a run-out, show themselves and make their case," said Kehl. "But we could've seen a bit more from one or two. There wasn't enough tempo in our play in the first half; lots from side to side, not enough movement or depth. In short, we were missing everything we expect from our game." He was happier with the second period, though: "We were involved in some good moves, played with more purpose and scored some nice goals."

As for the two wins – a 2-0 triumph over third-tier Uerdingen in the cup on Friday preceded the 4-0 friendly victory against Münster, another third-division outfit, on Saturday – Kehl said: "It's difficult to compare the two games. There's always a different type of tension in the DFB Cup First Round. And the Super Cup was a superb test of our mettle at this level. Now we've played two teams who are not in the Bundesliga."

Nine victories in nine games with a combined goal difference of 38-5 is a remarkable record. But there are no points on the board in the league yet. "We cannot sit back and assume it's all going to happen for us!" warned Julian Brandt.
Boris Rupert