World Cup winner Roman Weidenfeller is fighting for his place in the starting XI, whilst Borussia Dortmund are fighting for their place on the European stage. Manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that the goalkeeper, on his 35th birthday, will get the chance to prove himself when BVB line up for the second leg of their qualifying tie with Austrian side Wolfsberger AC.
"We’re all really looking forward to the game," said Tuchel, ahead of his first competitive game as head coach in front of a home crowd. "We want to approach the game with enthusiasm and dominate the match. We want to play at the best level we’re able to at the stage of pre-season." The same applies to Weidenfeller. The experience of the Germany international goalkeeper, who has made a total of 55 European appearances, could prove to be the decisive factor in his battle for the starting goalkeeper spot with new signing Roman Bürki, as both players aim to be a part of Tuchel’s plans ahead of this weekend’s DFB Cup clash in Chemnitz and thereafter the start of the Bundesliga season.
"I still don’t know when I’ll make the final decision, but I’ll put a lot of thought into it and I hope that my eventual decision doesn’t have any negative effects on the behaviour or attitude in training of either player," said Tuchel about the competition for places between the sticks. Bürki played in the 1-0 first-leg victory in Kärnten, pulling off some excellent saves in the second half to keep BVB in front. The Swiss goalkeeper certainly impressed and laid a "good foundation" for a successful career at Dortmund, said chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke.
A record attendance for a Europa League qualification match?
Anything other than progression to the play-off round (to be played on 20th and 27th August), which is the final round before the Europa League group stage, would be a disaster for Borussia Dortmund. The fans have high hopes for the team – more than 60,000 fans are expected to turn up to watch Thomas Tuchel’s first home game as BVB head coach. That would be a German record – the current highest attendance for a Europa League qualifying game in Germany was set by Schalke in 2011, when 52,034 fans watched them play Helsinki. "Where else but at BVB could something like that be possible?" grinned Tuchel.
The first leg, won by BVB four days after their training camp, is behind them. Since that game, the Dortmund players have been able to relax and recharge their batteries whilst Tuchel has begun to make some finer tactical adjustments to his side – especially in defending set-pieces. "That’s still a slight issue for us," admitted the 41-year-old.
BVB still without Durm and Subotic
Tuchel must still do without the injured defenders Neven Subotic (back) and Erik Durm (knee). Midfielder Oliver Kirch will also be unavailable for selection after picking up an injury in training on Monday. There is some however good news for Tuchel, as striker Adrian Ramos looks set to make his comeback from a three-month injury lay-off. "Adrian played against Sevilla last week, and he also grabbed a goal," said Tuchel. "He’s definitely back in contention for a place in the squad."
The relatively unknown Wolfsberg players are looking forward to playing in such a famous and magnificent venue as the Signal-Iduna-Park, and are quietly confident ahead of their game against the 2013 Champions League finalists. "Just like in Klagenfurt, BVB are the clear favourites," said defender Michael Sollbauer. "But we showed in the first leg that we can create chances, and with only a 1-0 deficit anything is possible – even in Dortmund."