The Borussia Dortmund U23s face a tough task this weekend, as they travel to face relegation candidates Dynamo Dresden on Saturday (kick-off 14:00 CET). 

The U23s will be in action away to SG Dynamo Dresden on Matchday 7. The eight-time champions of East Germany are one of the most popular clubs in the 3. Liga: their average attendance of 22,000 at the Rudolf Harbig Stadium makes them the best-attended club in the division. ''It's a real pressure cooker there. The fans can make an unbelievable amount of noise. When things are going well, there's an unbelievable atmosphere. But when things aren't going well, it can really take a turn. It can become unpleasant for the home team,'' says Franz Pfanne.

The captain of Dortmund's U23s has first-hand experience of the atmosphere there; Pfanne spent his entire youth career in Dresden. The defensive midfielder spent a total of eight years playing in the youth teams of SG Dynamo: "That left a big mark on me. When you play for a club for so long as a youngster, you obviously follow the first team, and I was in the stands to cheer them on as often as I could."

His parents still go to Dynamo games regularly, with the Pfannes being season ticket holders. They will be in the stands on Saturday, but needless to say, they will be rooting for their son. The 27-year-old still has various connections to Dresden, notably through his former teammate Stefan Drljača, who moved from BVB to the capital of Saxony this summer: "We speak regularly on the phone, and this week we were also in contact via Facetime. He feels very much at home there."

Last weekend, the former Black & Yellow put in a strong performance as his side picked up a 1-0 win away in Aue. Apart from this, the start of the season for the promotion favourites has been rather mixed. Three wins, three defeats and tenth place in the table clearly falls short of SGD's lofty expectations. BVB have more modest ambitions, with the set goal of staying in the league. Nobody in Dortmund is satisfied with the results so far: "Four points after six games is obviously something that can be improved on. But it's not all bad. I am still fully convinced of the quality of the team. We have a lot of new players, and we also have a new coaching team. And you can't ignore the fact that we've had a tough schedule at the start of the season," says Pfanne, assessing the situation.

Last week's match against the SC Freiburg U23s was a reflection of the season as a whole thus far. The young Black & Yellows put in a decent performance, created numerous good chances, but were ultimately unable to find the back of the net. It was the third game this season that BVB have failed to score a goal. "We're just not getting it right. Three goals in six games is not enough. But we are working on that in training," said a determined Pfanne.

If necessary, the captain will have to take matters into his own hands against Dresden. Scoring the winning goal in front of his own parents in the stadium of his boyhood club - it would be the kind of story that only football writes. Franz Pfanne certainly wouldn't object.