Borussia Dortmund have seven matches to play in the Bundesliga this season. Next on the Black & Yellow agenda is a trip to Stuttgart on Saturday (15 April). Kick-off for the clash with VfB is scheduled for 15:30 CET.

Edin Terzic has had a close look at Saturday’s opponents. One day after overseeing his side’s 2-1 home win over Union Berlin, the BVB head coach sat in the stands in Bochum to watch Stuttgart pick up a 3-2 away win which lifted them out of the automatic relegation places. The Swabian club aren’t the easiest side to analyse this season in light of the four coaches they’ve had on the sidelines. In the reverse fixture, Pellegrino Matarazzo was still roaming the technical area. He was replaced by Michael Wimmer, who was then replaced by Bruno Labbadia. Sebastian Hoeness has been in the hot seat since the beginning of April.

From his seat in the stands in Bochum, Terzic noticed that “something has changed. They’ve adjusted their playing system once again.” In his first two games in charge – the victory away in Bochum was preceded by a 1-0 cup win against Nuremberg – Hoeness has sent his side out in a three-at-the-back formation. ”They’ve looked really organised, determined and stable. The two wins will have given them a lot of confidence and belief,” said Terzic, who noted that he doesn’t see this Stuttgart side as your typical relegation-battlers: “They have a lot of possession, come out on top in a lot of tackles, and have high passing accuracy. They have lost a lot of close games by fine margins and often in unfortunate circumstances.” The Black & Yellow head coach is expecting “a tough task. But we’ve shown in the reverse fixture as well as throughout 2023 so far that we are good at dealing with tough situations. Both teams are under pressure to get a result, as both want to take a step towards achieving their ultimate goals.”

Schlotterbeck out injured, questions marks over Süle

Although Nico Schlotterbeck is no longer in pain after suffering a muscle fibre tear, he will not be available to play on Saturday. In addition, Niklas Süle has not yet been able to train with the team this week due to muscular problems in his thigh, and could well join Schlotterbeck on the list of absentees. If both centre-backs are out, Emre Can could shift back into defence. “He has often played there in the past. We tried that out again and again at our training camp in Marbella, because we believe that the position suits him well in terms of his abilities,” explained Terzic, adding: “He is strong in tackles and aerial duels and has good pace.” Terzic has also brought Soumaila Coulibaly into the matchday squad. The young defender trains regularly with the first team and has most recently been in action for the U23s in the 3. Liga. He was included in the squad against Union Berlin, but was an unused substitute.

BVB demonstrated an improved performance against Union on Saturday after two straight defeats, and Terzic was particularly pleased with how his side played in the first half. “We want to build on that performance. We will be perfectly prepared for the game. We’re entering the home straight now. We want to make the most of the strong position we’re in,” said the coach of the team placed second in the table, adding: “We want to go into the remaining seven games full of hunger, so that we can share a great story together at the end of the season.”

Christina Reinke

BVB-TV by 1&1: the press conference before the game in Stuttgart