The last few weeks have been draining. But in the wake of their away marathon in Wiedenbrück, Wegberg-Beeck and Düsseldorf, plus a tough home game with Wuppertaler SV, Borussia Dortmund's U23s have returned to a more normal rhythm over the past few days.

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But while there were no midweek fixtures, the Black & Yellows face strong opposition on Saturday when they travel to Krefeld for a top-of-the-table clash with current Regionalliga West leaders KFC Uerdingen. The Krefeld-based outfit, who are coached by Michael Wiesinger, currently top the table with 27 points from their first 14 matches. BVB, meanwhile, find themselves in sixth with 22 points following the 2-2 draw with Wuppertal, though they still have a game in hand. They need to keep up with the chasing pack. It's tight at the top with none of the teams up there yet managing to pull away, meaning only six points separate the sides in first and eighth place.

BVB will be facing a familiar foe in Uerdingen. Oguzhan Kefkir made 77 appearances for the Borussia Dortmund U23s, scoring seven goals and providing 13 assists. This term, he is the joint-top scorer at his new club alongside centre-forward Lucas Musculus and midfield strategist Patrick Ellguth. Uerdingen's main strength, however, lies in their defence. The table-toppers currently have the best defence in the division (eight goals conceded).

The last meeting between the sides came over a decade ago. BVB, then in the Regionalliga Nord, won that 2005 clash 1-0 thanks to a goal by Uwe Seggewiß. On the pitch that day was our current co-coach David Solga, who provided the assist for the winner.

The match, which kicks off at 14:00 CET (entry from 12:30 CET) on Saturday, will be played at the Grotenburg-Stadion in the Krefeld district of Bockum. BVB fans are recommended to buy tickets for Block O (seated tickets) or Block R (standing tickets).
Timo Lammert