There is no change in the tense personnel situation at BVB for the time being. Nevertheless, coach Sahin’s mood is better before the Champions League game against Graz. A win against the Austrians is mandatory.
At least Nuri Sahin can now joke about the still very tense personnel situation at Borussia Dortmund. “There will be some places left free – definitely,” said the long-suffering BVB coach about the squad positions of his core squad for the Champions League game on Tuesday (9 p.m. / DAZN) against Sturm Graz and laughed.
Things had looked completely different before Saturday’s 2-1 win against RB Leipzig, which was particularly important for him, when the coach, who had previously been sharply criticized, rattled off the long list of injuries. Nothing has changed significantly. There are no further absences that were feared at the weekend, but there is also no return of prominent players such as regular goalkeeper Gregor Kobel or national defender Waldemar Anton. “The known failures remain,” announced the 36-year-old.
“My greatest wish would be to rotate without losing quality. “Unfortunately we can’t do that at the moment,” said the Dortmund coach, but seemed much more relaxed than last Friday after suffering four away defeats in a row. The unexpected victory and, above all, the best performance of the season against second-place Leipzig in the Bundesliga, which was hardly thought possible under the circumstances, suddenly improved the mood around BVB. “Of course, victories help to bring calm,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl about the previously tense situation, which should be further improved.
Sabitzer reports fit
Despite the many failures – there are probably at least nine against the Austrian double winner – a win on Tuesday is a must. “Our mission is clear against them: win tomorrow,” said the Austrian national player Marcel Sabitzer, who comes from Graz, unmistakably. Despite being substituted early due to injury, the 30-year-old reported fit for the game against his former youth club’s local rivals Grazer AK on Saturday.
The BVB midfielder is one of a group of professionals who have to hold on until the start of the international break after Saturday’s Bundesliga game at FSV Mainz despite a few injuries. “You have to grit your teeth sometimes. “I’m not one to be sad,” said Sabitzer about the current rush for appointments. “The games are becoming more and more, you hardly have a break. It’s not unusual for things to pinch.”
Sahin was out of the question about a final training session in the afternoon. “We can only regenerate,” said the coach, who was significantly strengthened by the Leipzig game but is now in a quandary. Because his Dortmund emergency team can’t really surprise in a positive way like they did against Leipzig. Even with the current squad, fans and those around them expect a win.
If that doesn’t succeed, not only would the good starting position in the European premier class after the two opening victories be gone again. Then the pressure would increase rapidly again. “We know what situation we are in,” said Sabitzer.
dpa/rc
