Borussia Dortmund's U23s will travel to FSV Zwickau on Saturday 17/09 (14:00 CET). After four defeats in a row, the Black & Yellows are looking to finally get points on the board again.

Our U23s had envisaged their start to the season differently. One or two members of the team will be looking back nostalgically to September 2021, when the Black & Yellows had amassed 14 points, scored 14 goals and occupied third place with eight games played; at the same stage a year later, they have 10 points and 10 goals fewer and are third-bottom in the table. The current sporting situation is naturally a concern for head coach Christian Preusser: "It's not an easy situation, but it's not unsolvable either. At the weekend, we have our next opportunity to get something and are fully motivated to make that happen."

Compared with last term, the start to the season have been considerably more challenging. Six of the eight opponents faced were teams in the top half of the table. Borussia's youngsters got their only win to date against Ruhr neighbours Rot-Weiss Essen (1-0), who will be predominantly focused on avoiding relegation. Beating the drop is also the Black & Yellows' primary objective. The biggest obstacle to achieving that aim thus far has been the attacking record, with only four goals scored across eight games.

That lack of efficiency in front of goal resurfaced last weekend against Oldenburg. BVB were in the ascendancy and creating numerous opportunities, but in the end they came away empty-handed after the visitors struck a fatal blow shortly before full-time to secure a 2-1 victory. "There was huge disappointment directly after the match. We couldn't believe that we hadn't got any points. But that was forgotten relatively quickly in training this week. It's also important to speak about the things that were good. There were obviously a few things that we didn't do well too; we took a closer look at them once again," said the U23s' head coach.

Next up, the Black & Yellows are off to FSV Zwickau. The East Saxony side are playing their seventh successive third-tier season. The Swans are on course this season too. Coach Joe Enochs and his players already have three wins under their belts; in particular, the derby victory over Aue last weekend is likely to be a boost to Borussia's next opponents, as Preusser explained: "That was a very emotional affair, they really achieved something. Generally speaking, the work that has been done in Zwickau over the years has been extremely good given their means. It's already extraordinary that they repeatedly stay in the league despite their limited resources. But they play football just as diligently. It's going to be very competitive; we'll have to hold our own."

Antonios Papadopoulos is someone who always puts his body on the line in an exemplary manner, but the 23-year-old will miss out on Saturday due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Mario Suver, who was recently suspended himself, is available again. He could be the one to replace "Papa" in the team and help seal the long-awaited first away win. And on that note, reflecting on the past may offer some encouragement. The first win on the road last term came in Zwickau, and the aim will be to repeat that feat again.