Late on Thursday night, it will not be a president from the world of politics or sport, but two youth players who will present the trophy to the winners of the 78th final of the DFB-Pokal. Coach Edin Terzic and captain Marco Reus are hoping the winners will be Borussia Dortmund – something the pair both emphasised on the eve of the final in Berlin.

Terzic is feeling a "mixture of anticipation and tension" ahead of the final against RB Leipzig: "We have a great chance to win the cup for the fifth time. The journey we have been on together in the past few months has given us this opportunity."

"It would be great if we could bring the cup back to Dortmund for the fans," agreed Reus. The 31-year-old, who is gearing up for his sixth major final with BVB, added: "I'm really looking forward to it, even though unfortunately there will be no fans there. It will be a very interesting game. We are ready." He added: "We perform when we have to", which Terzic picked up like a pinpoint assist at the press conference: "Then, Marco, you have to tomorrow..."

The mixture of tension and looseness was palpable at the virtual press conference. Borussia will head into the final with a small advantage: Alongside Reus, Mats Hummels (eight "big" finals with club teams) and Lukasz Piszczek (6) also have plenty of experience in finals. No Leipzig player has played more than one.

"The total package has to be right. And we have to be careful because Leipzig are very variable up front," said Terzic, outlining the scenario before the – late – 20:45 CET kick-off: "It's a battle of the two teams who have won the most games in the cup this year. We want to win one more game. We have a really strong desire to hold the cup in our hands tomorrow," Terzic added: "We have promised ourselves that we will finish the journey together and want to knuckle down resolutely. We're going to give it our all to make it possible."

While Leipzig will have to do without Angelino, Dortmund are hoping Erling Haaland will make the final. "He was on the pitch with us for the first time yesterday," Terzic said. The Norwegian will also take part in the short final training session on Wednesday evening at the Olympic Stadium. "Then we have to wait for the reaction, sit down and see if he can make it tomorrow..."

Boris Rupert