The Borussia Dortmund management did not quite know how to view the 1-1 draw away to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League round of 16. On the one hand, BVB remained unbeaten and picked up an away draw; but on the other, Dortmund were left ruing the scene that led to the equaliser. Eindhoven were awarded a dubious penalty in the second half and scored via Luuk de Jong.
The match mirrored Dortmund’s season: coach Edin Terzic’s team only impressed to a limit extent once again and struggled on the road once again. Following the Friday evening fixture, BVB are already 20 points behind league leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table and are fighting for Champions League qualification in fourth place. Dortmund have made too many slip-ups to play a role in the title race. And the Black & Yellows have already been eliminated from the DFB-Pokal too.
Things are at least going a little better this calendar year: BVB are still unbeaten. But neither the fans nor the players are entirely satisfied. There was a great longing for a title after missing out on the championship so narrowly last season, but the Champions League is probably the last option. To ensure that the popular anthem is played once again at Signal Iduna Park next season, Borussia Dortmund need to beat TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday. “Hoffenheim have recently often been close to winning their games. We’ve already played against them twice this season; but since then, they’ve also tried to adapt a few things. We’re wary of their attack in particular,” said Edin Terzic ahead of the match.
On the personnel front, BVB are still without Gregor Kobel, Sebastien Haller and Felix Nmecha, while the involvement of Niklas Süle – a product of the TSG Academy just like Kobel – is doubtful. Either way, a capable team will take their place on the pitch and will give everything to get the win. “We know that we need to win again at the weekend after draws in our last two games. That’s our clear assignment for the game against Hoffenheim,” said Terzic.