Next up, Borussia Dortmund face Borussia Mönchengladbach under the floodlights at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Saturday evening (18:30 CET). The Black & Yellows are aiming to take all three points from their first match after the international break.

"Each individual player must be a leader. It's important to adopt a positive attitude and to believe in our own strengths. That final 5-10 percent needs to be on show too," said sporting director Michael Zorc prior to the meeting with the current table-toppers.

Guerreiro extends until 2023: "A top-class footballer"

BVB have won each of their past eight Bundesliga meetings with the Foals – the longest winning run there has ever been in fixtures between the two clubs – but coach Favre is wary. "Gladbach are a dangerous team who play attractive football. They're very strong when it comes to counter-pressing and they have a lot of power going forward. Good work has been done there for some time. We absolutely want to win on Saturday!"

The pre-match press conference kicked off with a welcome personnel announcement, as the news filtered through that Raphael Guerreiro had prematurely extended his contract until 30 June 2023. "Raphael is an internationally experienced and technically top-class footballer, who can play in several positions thanks to his versatility and is held in high regard within our squad," said Zorc following the announcement.

Schulz back, Piszczek a doubt, Alcácer out

Nico Schulz is likely to return to the squad for Saturday's top match. "Nico has trained fully, but Lukasz Piszczek has not yet taken part in team training sessions. As for Paco Alcácer, he is not quite yet ready to return," explained Favre.

There has not been a single goalless draw in the previous 46 competitive meetings between BVB and Mönchengladbach, with the last 0-0 coming back in April 1994. To lend the latest fixture additional spice, several Black & Yellows will be coming up against their former clubs. Lucien Favre, of course, used to coach the Foals, while captain Marco Reus, Mahmoud Dahoud, Nico Schulz and Thorgan Hazard all used to ply their trade there too.

"The international break gave us an opportunity to recharge our batteries," said Zorc. They will, of course, need to be at 100 percent when the referee blows the first whistle on Saturday.