No Marco Reus, no Mats Hummels - Borussia Dortmund flew into the Andalusian sun on Tuesday morning without any personal hope.
The urgently needed reaction in the Champions League to the umpteenth system failure in the eagerly awaited attack on FC Bayern Munich must be directed by the team that so bitterly disappointed again in the Bundesliga at the weekend. "We now have to score the best possible points against Sevilla," demanded coach Edin Terzic in Andalusia on Tuesday, and offensive player Julian Brandt said: "Tomorrow it's the task of ten, eleven guys to somehow manage the switch. The game is a good opportunity to to turn the wind for us somehow."
However, at least in Seville on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN) there will be no additional personnel. The previously announced comeback of Captain Reus and the return of defense stabilizer Hummels shattered. Marius Wolf and Giovanni Reyna also did not make the flight to southern Spain - unlike regular goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who recently missed five competitive games. But the Swiss probably only traveled to training so he could play again on Saturday against FC Bayern. "He's here to increase the training workload," said Terzic, who officially left an assignment open.
search for self-confidence
The game in Andalusia is enormously important for the BVB spirit before the prestige duel against Bayern. After the bitter 2: 3 at 1. FC Köln, the Terzic team urgently needs self-confidence. Because the Westphalians are once again in a crisis of meaning. The appearance at FC once again left doubts as to whether Dortmund could finally be a serious title competitor for Munich this season. "We have to get stability," Terzic demanded again.
Sports director Sebastian Kehl had previously complained that "demand and reality clearly" diverge. BVB should win the game in Seville, which is deep in the table basement of the Primera División. Terzic's colleague Julen Lopetegui is already threatened with the end. In the two games against the Spaniards on Wednesday and at home in the coming week, Dortmund can already set the course for the round of 16.
Deadlines until the World Cup break
The first leg is the start of a hunt for twelve games in just 38 days before the World Cup break. "Now we have to accept every task," demanded Terzic, who also wants to be much more determined and demanding after the disappointment in Cologne. He can hardly set new personal impulses. Only in attack should Anthony Modeste, who has not worked as a substitute for Sebastién Haller, be given a break and Youssoufa Moukoko a chance.
Otherwise, however, there is a lack of alternatives just before the intense weeks. The veteran Hummels is mainly missing in defence. It doesn't really work without the 2014 world champion. Dortmund conceded nine goals in the 208 minutes without Hummels. In the 512 Bundesliga minutes with him, only one goal was conceded. The newcomers Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle are in the deep. The game in Seville is also too early for Reus. After his foot injury in the derby against FC Schalke (1-0) in mid-September, Terzic had already brought the quick comeback into play the previous week. Wolf, who is also ill, and Reyna, who is injured, are also not yet available. They could have been viable alternatives for rotation.
