Hjulmand ahead of #BVBB04: Need 'sharpness' against a 'super opponent'

"I'm expecting a top match against a great opponent. We've played Dortmund twice so far this season and both games were very close. It will be the same tomorrow. The aim is to win, that would give us a big boost. We want to close the gap," said Kasper Hjulmand at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

Hjulmand: "play our own game"

Hjulmand expects the second-placed team from the Ruhr region, who are currently enjoying their third-best Bundesliga season in the club's history, to be "highly motivated". He added: "Dortmund no longer have any double-fixture weeks, either nationally or in Europe. They come out firing every week and are currently in very good form." The Black and Yellows have won ten of their last twelve league games, including the last four in a row - a top number in the league. According to Hjulmand, one of Dortmund's strengths is: "They have an incredible sharpness, which we also need. They often don't have many more chances than their opponents, but they still win the games. Most recently also in Stuttgart (2-0, ed.)."

However, Hjulmand also focussed on his own team’s strengths: "It's important to focus on ourselves. We always aim to play our own game. Last time against BVB, we created the spaces well and had very strong build-up play. We have to defend well again against Dortmund."

Talking of defending: When asked about the many goals conceded by his team recently (three each against FC Heidenheim and VfL Wolfsburg), Hjulmand said: "Our defensive work was also covered at training this week. The way we’ve defended recently - that's not good. We’ve worked on that and we definitely need to improve."

a returnee and over 6,000 Fans

In addition to the 6,300 fans who will be cheering on the team at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, Kasper Hjulmand can also look forward to the return of a squad member. Lucas Vázquez will be part of the matchday squad. There is still a question mark over the return of Jarell Quansah.