Self-belief and concentration key against Brugge

BVB will go into their meeting with the Belgians as the leaders of Group F. Despite kicking off their campaign with a defeat away at Lazio, the Black & Yellows have six points on the board after beating Zenit St. Petersburg and then Brugge last time out. "We didn't start well but then we recovered," said defender Manuel Akanji. "Tomorrow we want to start the 'return fixtures' well. That's why a win is very important."

The visitors from Belgium sit third in the group with four points. The Jupiler League outfit, who currently top their domestic division, started with a victory in St. Petersburg before drawing against Lazio and then losing to BVB around three weeks ago. "We won 3-0 but we need to analyse the whole match," said head coach Lucien Favre. "They had a few big opportunities as well. They were dangerous. We need to keep our focus. Brugge are a very good team."

Dortmund have built up a head of steam for the weeks ahead after beating Hertha BSC 5-2. That match in the capital on Saturday marked the start of an intense run of 10 matches in the space a month for the Black & Yellows. The team hadn't seen each other for almost a fortnight due to the international break. "So to regroup and start off with a win is very good," said Akanji. "Now we can carry over that self-belief into our upcoming games."

Given the congested fixture schedule, Favre has announced his intention to rotate again. "It's necessary. Not everyone will play all 10 games, only three of four players maximum."

None of the players sustained injuries in the Hertha match. It remains unclear whether Thomas Delaney will return to the squad for the Brugge game after returning from international duty with a calf issue. "He didn't resume training on Sunday. We'll see today how he's doing and whether he can be involved tomorrow," Favre explained.
Christina Reinke

BVB TV by 1&1: FC Brügge pre-match press conference