Borussia Dortmund will play their last match of the year on Tuesday evening as they travel to Eintracht Braunschweig to battle it out for a place in the Round of 16 of the DFB Cup (kick-off 20:00 CET). BVB booked their place in the Second Round back in September thanks to a 5-0 win away to MSV Duisburg. Second-tier opponents Braunschweig qualified thanks to a 5-4 win over Hertha BSC.

The match in Lower Saxony will be the Black & Yellows' third consecutive away game. Dortmund won 2-1 away to Werder Bremen last Tuesday in Edin Terzic's debut as head coach and then lost 2-1 at Union Berlin on Friday. ''The coaching team analysed the game the morning after. We also had a really good analysis session with the team,'' said Terzic, adding: ''We worked on our mistakes and we are confident that we won't repeat them tomorrow.'' The team are set for their final pre-game training session on Monday afternoon: ''We're going to try to give the boys something to work on in training that will help restore their confidence.''

Sporting director Michael Zorc has clear expectations going into the cup match: ''We will be in a position to handle the challenge. It's a knock-out match, so there is no chance to make up for mistakes.'' The team are aiming to live up to their role as favourites: ''We're confident that we'll put in a good performance and qualify for the next round. We have to pass this test,'' said Zorc.

The coaching team spent Sunday taking a close look at Eintracht's recent games. ''They have a lot of quality going forward and plenty of pace on the wings. They want to play football. Although they haven't always got the results they've been looking for in recent matches, they've been very switched on and well organised,'' said Terzic. After 13 matchdays, newly-promoted Braunschweig find themselves placed 15th in the Bundesliga 2 table - just one spot clear of the relegation zone. 

Tuesday's match will mark the fifth time Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Braunschweig have met in the DFB Cup. The head-to-head record from the four previous encounters is evenly matched: two wins for BVB, two wins for Braunschweig. The two sides have also faced off in the Second Round before: in the 1989/90 season, BVB were knocked out after a 3-2 home defeat against Braunschweig. The most recent cup match-up dates back to the First Round of the 2005/06 season, when the Black & Yellows lost 2-1 away from home. ''We endured a bitter defeat back then. But none of our current players were playing for us back then. That's the positive side to it,'' said Zorc.

The personnel situation remains more or less unchanged from the Union game. It will be decided after the final training session which players will make the trip to Braunschweig. There are hopes that Thorgan Hazard will be able to make his return to action. ''Thorgan will join us again for training today and will participate in the full session. After that, we'll decide whether or not he's ready for tomorrow.''

Once the final whistle has blown, the players can enjoy a brief Christmas break. Training will resume in Brackel on 29 December. The first match of the new year will be at home to VfL Wolfsburg on 3 January.

Christina Reinke

BVB-TV by 1&1: press conference before Eintracht Braunschweig