Champions League: BVB now has to deliver away: “It’s about time”

No excuses and a clear mission: At the end of what has so far been a nerve-calming week, Borussia Dortmund has to deliver once again. And finally away from home. “I also want to go to Mainz and end this away curse that we may have this season. It’s time to get an away win on Saturday,” demanded sports director Sebastian Kehl after the 1-0 (0 :0) in the Champions League against Sturm Graz clearly from the BVB professionals.

Only if the third three-pointer at FSV Mainz 05 (3:30 p.m./Sky) succeeds on Saturday after the strong 2-1 against RB Leipzig and the redemptive 1-0 on Tuesday will BVB be considered crisis-free again, according to those responsible. According to Kehl, the win against Leipzig, second in the Bundesliga, was “only a small step” in the league: “We have to deliver.”

Given the many injuries at the moment, this is not an easy task for the thin squad. Already on Tuesday evening, the fatigue of the team, which was forced to play with the same personnel for the third time in seven days, was obvious. “So far the team has done very well with this staff. Why shouldn’t we do that again on Saturday?” said Kehl. “We are of course capable of winning in Mainz with this team.”

Kehl demands attributes that were often denied to BVB

According to Kehl, this requires another “will effort”. Mentality, will and greed are attributes that have been repeatedly denied to Dortmund in crucial moments in recent years. At least in the last two games, the tired remaining BVB professionals demonstrated this after five away defeats in a row – at home with more than 80,000 fans behind them.

Now the tiredness comes along. “You noticed that especially in the second half,” admitted Dortmund’s best man against Graz, national defender Nico Schlotterbeck. The passes became increasingly messy and sprints could no longer be carried out consistently. It is significant that a relatively fresh substitute, Donyell Malen, scored the winning goal (85th minute).

Sahin: “The boys are at their limit”

“The boys are really at their limit. They are at their limit,” said head coach Nuri Sahin, who had already been criticized before the two victories, but now enjoys the trust of the bosses more than ever. The ex-professional, who is only 36 years old, was unyielding out of necessity. “I can’t give them a break. We have to go one more time. The game is extremely important for us,” said Sahin.

In the Champions League, his team is clearly on course for the round of 16 with nine points from four of eight preliminary round games and is currently the most successful of all German participants. But there is still a lot of catching up to do in the league. After nine match days, the Westphalians are not in a Champions League position and are therefore below the mark by which every BVB coach is ultimately measured.

“If we draw the game, we’ll be back there. Then we can keep up,” said Sahin, who at least has more defensive alternatives available to him in Mainz in Julian Ryerson, Yan Couto and possibly Waldemar Anton. However, Ramy Bensebaini, who is suspended from yellow, is also missing a defensive force.

Sahin relies on relaxation during the international break

And the situation should actually ease even more during the upcoming international break. At least that’s what Sahin hopes. Because a number of his professionals will be on international trips again, including the ailing ones. Marcel Sabitzer, for example, who was substituted against Leipzig due to muscular problems and also had to go down earlier against Graz, was nominated for Austria’s Nations League games on Wednesday.