Confidence is high in the Borussia Dortmund camp – top of the Bundesliga, putting in great performances, and they’re only one result away from a place in the Europa League proper. "We absolutely want to make that last step and qualify for the Europa League," assured head coach Thomas Tuchel. The BVB boss is however wary of the threat posed by tonight’s opponents Odds BK (kick-off 20:30 CEST) – after all, the Norwegian side did stun Dortmund last week by going 3-0 up inside 22 minutes.
"The first leg is over," said Tuchel, who watched his side bounce back from their poor start at the Skagerak Arena to win the game 4-3. "Victories like that are important. They’re good for giving us belief in our own performance." Confidence was raised even more following BVB’s second Bundesliga thrashing in two games as they beat Ingolstadt 4-0. That was already Dortmund’s sixth competitive victory of the fledgling season, and the three goals conceded in Norway remain the only goals BVB have shipped so far.
Reaping the rewards of last season’s comeback
For BVB, who still remain in tenth place of UEFA’s club rankings, the game against the side ranked 325th marks another step on their quest to maintain their international presence – and qualification for European competition would be the ultimate pay-off for their excellent form in the second half of last season, which saw former coach Jürgen Klopp’s side rise from bottom of the Bundesliga to seventh place.
Admittedly, they did miss out on their ultimate goal of Champions League qualification, but that doesn’t mean they will rest on their laurels. "We will, should we qualify, put a lot of effort into our Europa League campaign. And should we get past the group stage, we’ll look forward to the next challenge," said Thomas Tuchel, who by no means is taking European’s secondary competition lightly. "I’m looking forward to every European game," said World Cup winner Matthias Ginter, who also mentioned how the knockout phase is likely to be "highly competitive".
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke did add that he is missing a Europa League from his CV at the club. BVB have made one past appearance in the competition’s current form, in the 2010/11 season, but were knocked out at the group stage despite only losing one game and finishing on nine points.
Ginter and Weidenfeller likely to start
However, the Dortmund players are not thinking so far ahead just yet – they’re just looking to build on the confidence around the club at the moment to overcome Odds BK tonight. Around 65,000 fans are expected to watch the game at the Signal-Iduna-Park – a backdrop that is sure to make a huge impression on tonight’s Norwegian guests. "We want to show them from the off that they won’t be taking anything back with them," said Ginter.
The former Freiburg player, like some of his teammates, is experiencing something of a new beginning after a difficult first season and is expected to continue in his new role as a right back in tonight’s game. Going by Thomas Tuchel’s rotation policy for European games, we can also expect to see Germany international Roman Weidenfeller start in goal.
