Home match against the bottom-of-the-table side: Borussia Dortmund’s U23s will play host to SV Meppen at the Rote Erde stadium on Saturday (kick-off: 14:00 CET).

The next match in the 3. Liga could be a special one: the Black and Yellows have the opportunity to overtake their two rivals from the Ruhr area, Rot-Weiss Essen and MSV Duisburg, in the table with a home win. The fact that this is possible illustrates the development of the U23s in recent weeks, as both teams were out of reach just a few weeks ago.

The Black and Yellows are looking to continue their run of four games without defeat – with three wins and a total of 13 goals scored and just one conceded. The U23s won the reverse fixture in October 2-0.

Meppen have won only two of their 14 games in the Drittliga since the winter break. The club responded by parting company with coach Stefan Krämer in early-March. Ernst Middendorp is now the man in the hot seat. The fact that Dortmund’s opponents from Emsland are bottom of the table does not matter to BVB’s coach Jan Zimmermann. He is expecting to face opposition who rely on being compact and has warned his players: “We have to be patient.” Zimmermann knows it is important for his young charges to build on their achievements from recent games: “We were solid and created chances for ourselves. We want to improve our sequences of play even further.”

For Dortmund’s Ted Tattermusch, the game will be a very special one: The 21-year-old attacker was born in Meppen and played for SVM for some eight years before moving to Dortmund in the summer of 2021. “My family still live in Meppen,” said the BVB striker, adding: “They are coming to the game. I had to organise some tickets for them. So it’s a special game for me.” In recent games, Tattermusch has put forward a strong argument for a place in the starting line-up, having been involved in two BVB goals in the final stages after coming on against Duisburg.

With two years having passed since his transfer, he no longer has deep connections with the weekend’s opposition, “but of course, I still know a few guys,” said Tattermusch, but he made it clear: “Whether it’s against Meppen or any other opponents, it won’t change my motivation – I’m highly motivated in every game.” The attacker is also hoping to tune out the fact that he could fire his former club closer to relegation: “It’s about being professional. The three points will also be incredibly important for us.”

Head coach Jan Zimmermann also has another option in his squad for Saturday: Marco Pasalic returned to training this week. However, BVB will have to continue to do without Dennis Lütke-Frie.
Daniel Mertens