U19s and U17s in action in the DFB-Nachwuchsliga

Borussia Dortmund's junior teams will continue their Championship Round campaigns in the DFB-Nachwuchsliga with a home double-header. At the same time, they will bid farewell to their home venue for the next few months – the youth stadium at the youth performance centre, which is being resurfaced.

The U19s, who will host SpVgg Unterhaching on Saturday (1 March) at 11:00 CET, will play their next home matches against Leipzig (9 March at 11:00 CET), Union Berlin (Sunday 30 March at 11:00 CET) and Mainz 05 (Sunday 6 April at 11:00 CET), as well as any possible German Championship knockout matches, at Stadion Rote Erde. The U17s will face Union Berlin on Sunday (11:00 CET). They will take on 1. FC Magdeburg (16 March), VfL Wolfsburg (2 April) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (12 April) on pitch 5 at the youth performance centre.

In their final game at their usual home ground, U19 head coach Mike Tullberg is expecting to face an SpVgg Unterhaching side that is – compared to his team – a "physically far superior opponent who are at a similar level to Mainz 05, Union Berlin and Karlsruher SC". After their 4-0 defeat in Karlsruhe in their opening game, in which they had to play a full half with a player fewer, the club from the Munich suburbs have achieved some respectable results. They lost 1-0 in Leipzig, beat Mainz 1-0 and were unlucky to lose 3-1 to Union Berlin.

“We have by far the youngest team in the U19 Nachwuchsliga, with one 15-year-old and three 16-year-olds. It's very difficult and a big challenge for the boys to hold their own against physically stronger opponents, but these games are important for their development,” said Tullberg, reflecting upon the first four games in the new Nachwuchsliga, in which Borussia Dortmund particularly impressed with their fighting spirit. This week, he has set new focal points in training. "We have to learn to act more calmly in possession of the ball and to solve pressure situations better and by playing our way out. We are working on this specifically,” Tullberg explained.

The Black & Yellows will have to win against Unterhaching in order to achieve their ambitious goal of finishing in one of the top two spots in Group D, which would guarantee them the right to play at home in the first German Championship knockout match. Tullberg will once again have to improvise on the personnel front. The entire front three of Ousmane Diallo (suspended), Thierry Fidjeu-Tazemeta and Diego Ngambia (both injured) are out, as is the injured midfield engine Nick Cherny. That means the squad will likely be reinforced with players from the U17s.

Gorges expecting "desire, intensity and creativity"

Borussia's U17s got off to a successful start in main round Group A last weekend by picking up a 2-1 win against VfL Bochum and are now looking forward to the visit of Union Berlin (Sun. 02/03 at 11:00 CET., live on Sky). Karsten Gorges is preparing his team for a "strong and physical opponent", who lost 1-0 to VfL Wolfsburg on the first matchday but were the better team in all statistical categories. He issued a warning about Union's attacker Oskar Engel, who made a name for himself in preliminary round group D by racking up 18 goals and three assists. Karsten Gorges is hoping for "the same intensity, desire and creativity" from his boys as they showed against Bochum. They have also shown commitment and focus throughout the training week. "The way they conduct themselves in training is commendable," explained Gorges.

He will not be able to include Justin Hoy, who is still recovering from knee surgery, in the squad. On the other hand, defender Niklas König returned after recovering from an infection, while goalkeeper Diego Branco is once again an option for the starting line-up.

(wiwi)