The first team are all set to host Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this Saturday, but, at the same time, the club's U23 outfit face an away match against the 1. FC Cologne U23s. Coach Mike Tullberg's side are aiming for their third consecutive win, but their hosts will make for formidable opponents having started the season in excellent form.

The Rhineland-based club are currently placed third in the Regionalliga West table. Five wins from seven matches certainly makes for a formidable run of form so far this season, all the more so given coach Mark Zimmermann's side only narrowly avoided relegation last time round. Saturday's match is set to be a particularly memorable occasion for Chris Führich: the midfielder joined the Black & Yellows this summer after moving from FC Cologne. The 21-year-old made his Bundesliga debut for the club and was a regular fixture in the U23 side. But Führich has certainly been quick to make his mark in Dortmund, scoring three goals and providing two assists in his first six games for the Black & Yellows.

Führich joined his teammates and the coaching staff for an intensive preparation session on Wednesday afternoon in advance of the big match this weekend. After a city tour in the team bus, including stops at the Florianturm and Phoenix-West, the entire squad sat down together for a hearty dinner in a Dortmund restaurant. The atmosphere was excellent, no doubt aided by the team's recent improvement in form out on the pitch - two wins in their last two matches have seen the Black & Yellows climb the Regionalliga West table. Should they triumph once more in Cologne on Saturday, the two teams will be separated by just two points and BVB will be within touching distance of the top of the table.