Matarazzo: "We act as a unit"

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…the match on Friday: "I look forward to every Bundesliga game. I'm very thankful for my job. But a home game under the floodlights on a Friday evening against a top opponent like Borussia Dortmund makes the excitement even greater. We showed a very mature performance against Union Berlin. We must understand what's at stake and need to take our chances. I look for solutions for every game and that's working well so far. We have the opportunity to be successful against a top opponent."

…Borussia Dortmund: "They fought for the championship up until the final matchday last season and also have not yet lost a match this season. They're a top team in the Bundesliga and we're aware of that. However, there will be phases that we want to exploit."

…the table situation: "I am not thinking about that. I'm much more delighted about our current successful run. The only thing that counts is the match tomorrow. The last four matches do not help us with that. We're on a good track, nothing more. Being top of the table would mean nothing to me. At this stage of the season it's only about points, your table position only counts at the end of the season. Wins obviously do us good, we enjoy it for one or two days, then the focus is on the next game."

…the balance in the squad: "Everyone in the team is clear about their role. I am constantly in contact with all the players about their current performance level. This competition for places does us good, I'm happy about that."

…the team's running strength: "We invest more in some phases of the game and are more compact than we were last season. I am of course delighted that we're running a lot. But that does not mean that we're investing more or playing better. If we have more control and run less, that does not make us worse. Nonetheless, you can see that we're acting as a unit."

…the farewell for Ermin Bičakčić and Sebastian Rudy: "The lads have earned it. Friday evening, a sold-out stadium. I've happy for them. I've worked with both of them. Ermin is an emotional guy who leads the way. Sebastian Rudy has made the second-most appearances for TSG. They are two important players for the club."

The personnel situation:

Dennis Geiger, Marco John and Bambasé Conté remain unavailable. Julian Justvan and Florian Grillitsch will be an option once again. Wout Weghorst is doubtful on account of injury but will return to team training today.

Head-to-head record:

Borussia Dortmund have come out on top in five of the last six meetings. Overall, however, the record is not so negative from a TSG perspective: Dortmund have won 13 games, TSG seven (plus 10 draws).

The opposition's form:

Dortmund have started the season with problems and have not yet managed to completely convince, but they are still in sixth position with only a two-point gap to the summit. With a victory, BVB – just like TSG – could rise to pole position in the table for one night at least.

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