Benjamin Hoffmann could hardly have found more apt words to describe the mood in both camps. "It's euphoria meets euphoria," said the BVB U19 coach ahead the first leg of the semi-final in the Final Round of the German Championship on Thursday 10 May, which pits Hertha BSC against Borussia Dortmund (kick-off 14:00 CET, live on Sport1).

Going into the final matchday, qualifying for the Final Round was more of a slim hope than a concrete expectation for both teams. But it all turned out well in the end. BVB recorded a 4-1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf to leapfrog VfL Bochum, who draw 1-1 at SC Paderborn, into second spot. It was an even more bizarre end of the season in the North/North-East pool, where front-runners Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV have been engaged in a fierce battle for supremacy for more or less the whole season. But the two sides drew 2-2 on the final day and Hertha BSC took full advantage, beating Niendorfer TSV 2-0 to go top for the first and only time all season.

It was an equally dramatic finale in the South/South-West pool, where TSG Hoffenheim were handed a welcome lifeline as FC Bayern suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Augsburg. The result allowed the Sinsheim outfit to sneak into the Final Round of the German Championship, where they will face West champions Schalke 04 (Thursday, 12:00 CET) in the other semi-final. The winner of that clash will play at home in the final.

Without Unbehaun, Bulut & Baxmann

Benjamin Hoffmann will put his charges through a final training session in Brackel on Wednesday morning before boarding the ICE to Berlin. For the first leg at least, he will be without Hüseyin Bulut (injured syndesmosis ligament). Alongside Niki Beste (knee operation), the season could be over for Jano Baxmann (torn syndesmosis ligament) too. "It's a real blow, especially as those three players have experience of the Final Round at U17 and U19 level," said Hoffmann of the absence of the key trio. Other absentees include goalkeeper Luca Unbehaun, who is at the U17 European Championships in England with the German team.

Alongside "experienced hands" Luca Kilian, Julian Schwermann, Dominik Wanner, David Kopacz and Alexander Schulte, who have played in a German Championship Final twice before (U17 level in 2016, U19 level in 2017), Hoffmann will have to increasingly rely on the younger year group.

Tobias Raschl back in time

Paul Besong, who netted a brace, and Robin Kehr were key figures in the 4-1 win over Düsseldorf, while Patrick Osterhage has increasingly played a dominant role in midfield in recent weeks. Julius Schell has played his way into the starting line-up as a defensive specialist, while Emre Aydinel ended the campaign as top-scorer in the Bundesliga West and Tobias Raschl made a half-hour comeback from the bench on Saturday only five months after a partial cruciate ligament tear.

"The team is concentrated and focused. We're all looking forward to the two semi-final matches," declared Benjamin Hoffmann, who is hoping this "match of equals" will not be decided until the return leg on Wednesday 16 May and is hoping for a result in Berlin that will "give us the opportunity in Brackel to secure qualification for the final".
Wilfried Wittke