There was a palpable feeling of disappointment on Monday evening as the U23s suffered their second successive defeat. The youngsters fell 2-0 behind – an unstoppable free-kick and a goal following an individual error – in the first period against the 1. FC Cologne reserves and they could not find a way back into the game after the break.

That result leaves BVB in seventh place on 39 points. They are now nine points off third place, although they do have two games in hand. Next up is a clash with TV Herkenrath, who are rooted to the bottom of the table, at 14:00 CET. The men from the Rhineland have 13 points this term and while it is still mathematically possible to beat the drop, they are suffering from a lack of consistency. Coach Giuseppe Brunetto's men lost 2-1 to Alemannia Aachen last time out.

In any case, the U23s will have fond memories of the reverse fixture, which they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Marco Rente, Massimo Ornatelli and Gianluca Rizzo. Perhaps it serves as a good omen as they bid to return to winning ways on Saturday. While the game might be somewhat overshadowed by the senior squad's meeting Bayern Munich, there is still sufficient time to visit the Rote Erde Stadion beforehand.