Borussia Dortmund have five more steps to take to lift their first Bundesliga title in 11 years, coach Edin Terzic said yesterday, with his team ready for the season’s crunch period. Dortmund lead the standings with five matches left to play and have a one-point advantage over second-placed Bayern Munich, winners of the previous 10 league crowns.
They visit VfL Bochum in the mini Ruhr derby tonight while Bayern are in action at home to Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
“We go into the game against Bochum with a good portion of self-confidence. We have to take five more steps and the next one is tomorrow,” Terzic told a news conference.
Dortmund will be without defender Nico Schlotterbeck who is nursing a muscle injury. Defender Niklas Suele will start in his place, Terzic said. “We cannot influence the Bayern game on Sunday. We play tomorrow against Bochum and we can improve our situation tomorrow only if we bag the three points,” he added. “We go into the final stretch in this position, playing for a title.”
Dortmund’s last title win dates back to 2012 under then coach Juergen Klopp. They also won it in 2011. The Ruhr valley club have kept pace with the Bavarians this season and pounced on Bayern’s rocky 2023 to take a slim lead last week going into the final stretch. They also have to play VfL Wolfsburg, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Augsburg and Mainz 05.
“There is one common goal and we need everyone. This common goal ... must lead to us being at the very top in the end,” Terzic said. “To have a different champion from the past 10 years. We want to show the performance that will hopefully see us at the very top. We are here, we have to take five successful steps and we are happy that it’s finally crunch time.”
In the tightest title race in years, Bayern, chasing a record-extending 11th straight league crown, are in turmoil following their German Cup and Champions League exits in the past few weeks under new coach Thomas Tuchel.
He replaced the sacked Julian Nagelsmann in late March but the decision has so far spectacularly backfired with the team potentially missing out on all silverware.
Fixtures (all times 1330 GMT unless stated)
Today: Bochum v Borussia
Dortmund (1830 GMT)
Tomorrow: Union Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen, Cologne v Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt v Augsburg, Stuttgart v Borussia Moenchengladbach, RB Leipzig v Hoffenheim, Schalke v Werder Bremen (1630 GMT)
Sunday: Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz (1530 GMT)
Reus extends with
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have extended captain Marco Reus’ contract by one year until the summer of 2024, the club announced. The two-time German Footballer of the Year’s deal was set to expire at the end of this season. Reus, 33, has scored 161 for Dortmund, 16 shy of the all-time record set by Adi Preissler between 1946 and 1959.
Reus has won two German Cups with Dortmund but has never claimed the league, he joined from Moenchengadbach immediately after the 2012 title.
Born in Dortmund, Reus came through the club’s junior ranks before moving to Rot Weiss Ahlen and then Borussia Moenchengladbach, where he made his Bundesliga debut.
Reus moved to Dortmund from Gladbach in the summer of 2012 and was named club captain ahead of the 2018-19 season. The forward has played 48 times for Germany, scoring 15 goals but has missed several major tournaments with injury, including the 2014 World Cup triumph.
Reus picked up an ankle injury in September and missed several weeks, including Germany’s Qatar World Cup campaign.
FILE PHOTO: Edin Terzic (Reuters)
