U23s to face Dresden at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK

Dynamo Dresden will pay a visit to the Strobelallee for the second time in under six months. BVB suffered a 3-1 defeat in their meeting in March this year. But similar gaps in the Dortmund defence to the ones on show five months ago are hardly to be expected this time around; the BVB defence has been in brilliant shape for weeks. Only one goal has been conceded across their five pre-season friendlies and goalkeeper Marcel Lotka has not had to pick the ball out of the back of his net in any of the three 3. Liga matches to date, having kept a clean sheet for 270 minutes.

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Having selected the same starting line-up for the games at home to Freiburg (1-0) and away to Regensburg (0-0), one or two changes to the starting XI can be expected from Dortmund coach Jan Zimmermann for the Dresden game at the end of an intense week. Jermain Nischalke, for example, imposed himself in Regensburg and hit the post of the opposition goal with the best chance of the game. The last-minute signing from Nuremberg has consistently increased his playing time so far and is now dreaming of a first start in a BVB shirt at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK no less. Ted Tattermusch could also be an option again on the right of defence.

It will be a special game once again for Franz Pfanne: the Dortmund captain was born in Bautzen, a town in Saxony that is located only around 60 kilometres away from Dresden. The now 29-year-old also came through the SG Dynamo youth system and then played for the Elbstadt outfit until 2015. Pfanne did not play the game in March but will want to exact revenge in an atmospheric setting.

The Saxony side have taken six points from their opening three games of the season, beating second-tier relegated team Bielefeld (3-1) and then Waldhof Mannheim (2-1) on Tuesday evening – both on home turf. Between those games, there was a 1-0 defeat in Sandhausen. The BVB U23s, who currently have five points, could leapfrog their opponents in the table with a win – it would be their first against Dynamo since 2009 – and establish themselves in the upper third of the table.
Daniel Mertens