Borussia Dortmund's U23s and East Westphalian outfit Sportclub Verl have previously met competitively on more than 40 occasions. Their meeting this Saturday will be their first in the 3. Liga, however. Kick-off at Sportpark am Lotter Kreuz is at 14:00 CET.

The Black & Yellows were not dissatisfied with their goalless draw against 1. FC Kaiserslautern last Saturday. "We threw ourselves at every ball and defended our goal," said Antonios Padadopoulous, who together with his team-mates produced another passionate defensive performance. Virtues "that you need in the 3. Liga," the defender noted.

Saturday sees the Black & Yellows go up against 17th-placed Verl. The East Westphalians have won only one of their last nine matches. The team coached by Guerino Capretti, who has been in the role since 2017, are in the thick of a relegation scrap. They are one point away from safety, with a six-point lead over bottom-of-the-table Havelse.

It will be a special occasion for BVB's current top-scorer Berkan Taz. The 22-year-old departed Verl for Dortmund in the summer and has already notched five goals and three assists this season. Verl have a few familiar faces in their ranks as well. Julian Schwermann came through the Dortmund youth ranks between 2011 and 2020, and became a German champion at U17 and U19 level with the Black & Yellows.

BVB coach Enrico Maassen is still without the injured trio of Kolbeinn Finnsson, Marco Pasalic and Luca Unbehaun.