Matchday 4 of the 3. Liga sees Borussia Dortmund's U23s host 1. FC Saarbrücken. Coach Uwe Koschinat's side have kicked off their campaign with two wins and a defeat, leaving them in fifth place in the table. Kick-off at Stadion Rote Erde is at 14:00 CET.

"If you move into a new league and then get seven points from the first three matches, that's outstanding. We're very satisfied and will continue in exactly the same vein," said BVB captain Franz Pfanne as he reflected on BVB's start to the season. The defensive midfielder, who has played in central defence in all of the opening games, is expected to move back into his usual role on Saturday: Niklas Dams will return to the fold after serving a suspension for a red card, while the other centre-backs Lennard Maloney, Maximilian Hippe and Albin Thaqi are available too.  

In Saarbrücken, the Black & Yellows will be welcoming an experienced third-tier team to Dortmund that will be aiming to compete for the promotion places. "Saarbrücken have a very well established third-tier squad. We'll probably see one or two more long balls from the opposition compared to the game against Freiburg," Pfanne explained, adding: "On Saturday, it will be about showing our virtues on the pitch once again. We need do that every week. Desire, strength in the challenges and brutal quality on the ball are what set us apart."

Pfanne is not only looking forward to the game but also to the home support at Stadion Rote Erde. "The first home game against Mannheim was fun. Our team lives off the support of its fans and it gives us an extra push. When you see people wearing Black & Yellow shirts in the stands in Freiburg, which is hundreds of kilometres away from Dortmund, it's a brilliant feeling." There are some tickets available for the match against Saarbrücken. You can find more information about that here.

BVB came out on top the last time the two teams met. In March 2014, the U23s ran out 1-0 winners over 1. FC Saarbrücken in front of 4,000 spectators at Ludwigsparkstadion thanks to David Solga's penalty kick. Manuel Zeit was already in the Saarbrücken team that day. Nowadays, the 31-year-old is the central axis in the Saarland side's midfield and has made approximately 130 third-tier appearances. The player to watch is Luca Kerber. The 19-year-old academy product has already played 22 times in the third tier and is seen as the club's top talent.