Nmecha in running training, “committed to the fans” and a strong home record against Freiburg

Nmecha in running training, “committed to the fans” and a strong home record against Freiburg

The scenarioWith four matches remaining, BVB sit second in the table, five points ahead of Leipzig in third. Despite their two recent defeats (0-1 against Leverkusen, 1-2 against Hoffenheim), their lead over fifth, which is outside the qualification places for the UEFA Champions League, remains comfortable as there are still ten points between Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim. A win on Sunday would see BVB be guaranteed of finishing at least fourth, so that would secure Champions League qualification. Qualification could even be secured on Saturday if Hoffenheim lose in Hamburg and Leverkusen fail to win in Cologne.

“We want to play the last four games the way we’ve played for most of the season. We want to pick up wins. To do that, we need to perform better than we have in the last two games,” demands BVB manager Niko Kovac for the final push. “The lads know what’s at stake and we need finish a good Bundesliga season in a fitting manner. We have a duty to our club and our fans to pick up more points in the next few games than we did in the last two.”

BVB have been successful in their most recent home matches against Freiburg, with their only home defeat to date coming in 2001, when BVB lost 0-2. Since then, there have been 16 wins and one draw in front of their home crowd.

Personnel mattersKarim Adeyemi has not yet resumed training with the team and remains sidelined. “It’s always difficult to give a clear prognosis when it comes to muscle injuries. He needs to feel confident. If he doesn’t feel good, we won’t rush him back into action because that could make things a bit worse,” said Kovac. “I’m convinced that he’ll definitely be back for the Freiburg game, and perhaps also for the match.”