They are the stats of a team to be reckoned with: 17 successive European games unbeaten, only one goal conceded in the group stages. It suggests great stability. Peter Stöger spoke of a "team that I see in a very dangerous underdog role". He was, of course, referring to Red Bull Salzburg – Borussia Dortmund's opponents in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.

How strong the Austrians are will become clear once the first leg, which kicks off at 19:00 CET on Thursday at Signal Iduna Park, gets underway. "It won't be easy, but they can't surprise us," said Stöger, who knows the opposition inside out. "It could be a really entertaining game for the spectators," the coach predicted.

In Leipzig on Saturday, the Black & Yellows got a taste of a style of football that greatly resembles the way Salzburg like to play: quick closing down, high pressing, intense battles for second balls and swift switch play. And, for the most part, they dealt with it well. "There are one or two things that we did well that we can take from that game," said Stöger. "Our objective will be to compete strongly and be dominant. We managed that well in Leipzig."

"They can concentrate completely on the matches against us"

"We take the opponent very seriously" assured Marcel Schmelzer, who believes Austria's perennial champions have an advantage in the run-up to the tie. "They have a ten-point lead in the league and can completely focus on the matches against us," he explained.

For BVB, the next few weeks will be a balancing act between succeeding at European level and racking up the domestic points tally to ensure a UEFA Champions League berth for next season. "Each match provides substance," said Stöger in reference to the players who have returned from long-injury layoffs. But he warned: "On the other hand, you need to be careful that they are not overexerted physically. We're in close communication with the lads. If the programme is at the right level, you get into the required rhythm – and that does the lads good."

BVB will need to find that rhythm if they are to progress far in the UEFA Europa League. "We want to take every match and every round seriously in order to progress," announced Schmelzer, who is well aware that "there are plenty of top teams in it and there's still a long way to go".
Boris Rupert

BVB total! video: The press conference with Peter Stöger and Marcel Schmelzer