Borussia Dortmund will host Borussia Mönchengladbach in the second DFB Pokal round on Wednesday night (ESPN3, 3.45 pm EST). Here is what Lucien Favre and Michael Zorc said before the game.
Personnel
Dortmund striker Paco Alcácer entered team training on Tuesday after overcoming Achilles problems and muscular problems that ruled him out for five games so far. However, Wednesday’s game will come too soon for the centre-forward, who has scored 7 of BVB’s 26 goals in all competitions. Left-back Marcel Schmelzer is also unavailable with a groin injury.
Goalkeeper Roman Bürki, who missed the Revierderby due to the flu is doubtful for the cup match. Mario Götze, meanwhile, has suffered a hairline crack in his ulna and sprained a ligament in his left wrist. The 27-year-old is nonetheless expected to play.
Schiene? Sitzt. 👍
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) October 29, 2019
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Meanwhile, Wednesday’s opponents are stretched even more thinly than the Black and Yellows. Gladbach coach Marco Rose will have to do without Matthias Ginter, Alassane Plea, Breel Embolo, Raffael, Tony Jantschke, Tobias Strobl, Ibrahima Traore and Fabian Johnson.
Priorities
“I’ve analysed the game against Schalke. Their pressing caused us a lot of pain, which says a lot about our current state. We have to move the ball around more quickly to avoid the pressing. We’ve to play one-touch football more often. It’s obviously not always possible but that’s where we have to make progress. We also have to improve our finishing. At the end of the game, we had two, three big chances where we could have done better,” Favre said when he was asked which of BVB’s many problems he would prioritise the most.
“We have to play very cleverly,” the 61-year-old said about the cup match, adding: “Gladbach are on a roll. They’re pressing very well and they are strong after winning turnovers. They attack with a lot of players and with a lot of power. We have to respect every opponent but we do not fear anybody.”
“It’s a knock-out game and we play at home,” Zorc added. “We should make sure to use our home-advantage because you can’t repair anything after the game.”
