The end of the footballing year is in sight. Part one of the marathon 2020/21 Regionalliga season will come to a close for the Borussia Dortmund U23s when they host the Fortuna Düsseldorf U23s on Tuesday evening. Kick-off in the Fußballpark Hohenbuschei is scheduled for 17:30 CET. Although the match does not mark the end of the first half of the season, the final whistle will nonetheless signal the start of a brief break from action for the Black & Yellows. BVB captain Steffen Tigges is hoping that his side can ''give it their all once more'' in the match against the strong U23 outfit from the Rhineland.

''It was tough work,'' said Tigges after the match against Wuppertal on Saturday. Although BVB ended up winning 3-0 (1-0), they created considerably fewer chances than in recent matches. It was therefore all the better that the chances were converted and the win was secured through fresh personnel from the bench.

This was BVB's 13th win in 18 games. The standings in the Regionalliga West have remained unchanged for weeks: RW Essen are on top with 50 points, BVB are second with 43 points and two games in hand. The top team in the chasing pack are Fortuna Cologne (37 points, also two games in hand), followed by tomorrow's opponents Düsseldorf (34 points from 19 games). Tuesday's game will be the first heavyweight clash of the season held in Dortmund-Brackel.

The Düsseldorf U23s have been coached by Nicolas Michaty since the summer of 2018. The Rhinelanders have been in the upper reaches of the Regionalliga West table since the start of the season. The young team are captained by Fortuna club legend Oliver Fink. The 38-year-old is the consummate leader, having made over 300 appearances for the club in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. He has also turned out for the first team this season. Florian Hartherz has also dropped down from the first team in recent weeks.

The most recent meeting between the two sides was a spectacular 3-3 draw in February of this year. Düsseldorf found themselves 3-0 up before the Black & Yellows stormed back to draw level and almost clinch a famous win.

The Borussia Dortmund U23s' last match of the year will be broadcast live on BVB-TV by 1&1. (tl)