“Perform from the start” – BVB the favourites against Schott Mainz

“In the past, we’ve often experienced how great a DFB-Pokal final in Berlin can be and how great it can be to hold the cup aloft. But it’s a long path to get there,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic prior to the opening game of the current cup campaign. “We’ve always said that we want to compete for titles. The cup is the shortest route. Performing from the start is part and parcel of it.” 

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Borussia Dortmund’s players have had five weeks of preparation in Dortmund and the USA. They were unbeaten in their seven friendlies (six wins and one draw). And they will be hoping to stay undefeated in the opening competitive match of 2023/24 – the first round of the DFB-Pokal against TSV Schott Mainz. However, the fixture will not signal the end of their preparations for the season. “We will not have any English weeks in August. We will therefore use August to holding many training sessions in order to lay good foundations for the rest of the season,” explained Terzic, who witnessed an improved performance from his players in each friendly. “The lads are currently making a good impression and are on a good path. We want to take the next step in the cup on Saturday.”

The injured duo of Thomas Meunier and Julien Duranville will definitely miss the match, which also comes too soon for Giovanni Reyna and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who are both currently in fitness training. There is still a question mark hanging over the involvement of Karim Adeyemi and Felix Nmecha, who twisted his ankle in training on Wednesday. “It doesn’t look all that bad, but we still need to wait for the exact diagnosis,” explained Terzic. Gregor Kobel and Nico Schlotterbeck, who picked up injuries during the USA Tour, have trained with the team and will be available in Mainz. 

Opponents Schott Mainz qualified for the DFB-Pokal by winning the Landespokal Südwest. The promoted outfit have already played their first match of the Regionalliga season: the Rhenish Hesse outfit led 3-1 up until the 90th minute away to FSV Frankfurt on Tuesday, but lost 4-3 after conceding three goals in stoppage time. “We attended the game against Frankfurt and analysed the video material. We’re preparing ourselves to face a young, hungry and dynamic team who played a good game but were dealt a blow right before the end,” commented Terzic, who added: “They have very good and interesting players in their ranks such as Silas Schwarz on the flank and Tim Müller in the middle. Unfortunately, they lost their top scorer Johannes Gansmann to injury after four minutes.”

The cup tie will take place at the Mewa Arena, which is where the Mainz 05 first team usually play their home games. More than 11,000 tickets have been sold to BVB fans. It’s an exception for the Regionalliga side, but normal for BVB. “We’re used to playing in big stadia. It’s great that more than 11,000 Borussia fans are making the trip,” said Terzic, who continued: “We’re aware of our role and we know what ambitions we have in this competition. We’re expecting not only a good performance, but to qualify for the next round too.”
Christina Reinke

BVB TV by 1&1: The press conference prior to the game against Schott Mainz