The advantage is comfortable, but the 4-0 cushion from the first leg in Berlin isn’t one the Black & Yellow U19s can afford to get caught napping on. Little surprise then that in the build-up to semi-final second-leg against Hertha BSC on Saturday (kick-off 11:00 CET, BVB Youth Performance Centre), head coach Mike Tullberg hasn’t grown tired of stressing the dangers of a strong offensive side who pose a real threat and have “nothing left to lose.”

Tullberg’s team already have a foot in the final (Sunday, 23 May), which will be played against the winner of the other semi-final between 1. FC Köln and FSV Mainz 05. The latter have a 1-0 lead after the first leg. “But only 90 of the 180 minutes have been played, so we have to stay wide awake. The team are well aware of that, no one celebrated the 4-0 win in Berlin. After all, you often see ties like this turned on their head in football,” said Tullberg.

It is now a matter of “building on the strong performance from the first leg and defending the lead as a team over 90 minutes”, stresses Tullberg, who is hoping for a good crowd: “It would be nice if our fans would turn out to support the boys. They really deserve that.” He still rates Hertha BSC as the most dangerous attacking team in German youth football: “They have scored an average of 3.6 goals per game in the league this season. That’s incredible.”

But the Berliners have also played against few opposition defences as well organised as BVB’s. “It may have looked easy from the sidelines, but it was hard work. The boys did a great job and implemented our plan to perfection,” said a proud Tullberg as he reflected on the match. He wants to see his team just as “grown-up and mature” this coming Saturday.

The Black & Yellows started the week with a regeneration programme, and on Thursday they began preparations for the second leg of the semi-final. The team are looking ahead to the game with the same meticulous and serious approach they brought to the first leg. “Hertha will and must take risks,” said Tullberg, who expects Hertha to opt for an all-out attacking approach. They will not be helped by the probable absence of star striker Ibrahim Maza, who picked up an injury in the first leg.

High praise for debutant Danylo Krevsun

In the first leg in Berlin, Mike Tullberg was able to pull an ace from up his sleeve in the form of Danylo Krevsun. The 17-year-old fled to Germany last year with his mother to escape the war in his home country of Ukraine and found a new home with former Dortmund track and field athlete Jana Hartmann. The attacking player, who came up through the Shakhtar Donetsk youth set-up, first joined Preußen Münster after a trial session at BVB and then made the switch to Borussia during the winter break. He celebrated his surprise debut in the U19 starting line-up for the big match in Berlin.

“Danylo gives his all in every training session, always wants to improve and is happy to be able to play for Borussia Dortmund. He deserved to get the call-up,” said Tullberg, explaining the unexpected change in the line-up. Krevsun had an instrumental role to play in BVB’s opening goal, as his well-placed crossfield pass to Samuel Bamba opened up the play. “It was the right decision to put our faith in him,” said Tullberg.

Krevsun has a good chance of being included in the starting XI again on Saturday. Michel Ludwig, who had to serve a suspension in the first leg, returns to the squad. Tom Rothe’s injury has not turned out to be serious, meaning he will most likely return to the left side of defence. Central defender Filippo Mane, on the other hand, is out until the end of the season due to a muscle injury.

The final stage of the team’s pre-game preparation is similar to the procedure in the UEFA Youth League: the squad will move into the team hotel on Friday afternoon. If time allows, the players and coaches will sit down together to watch the second semi-final match between 1. FC Köln and Mainz 05 (kick-off 16:00 CET) on TV. On Saturday, they want to make it to the final. And then celebrate this big moment in style. With as many BVB fans as possible. (wiwi)