The match in Leipzig ended two hours ago. The focus is now on the biggest game of the season, the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Julian Brandt assures: "I know how to focus on the next game with just a few days' turnaround." The fans will have an important role to play.

With a five-point, 18-goal deficit and only three Bundesliga games remaining, fourth place is only theoretically still achievable. Fifth place is safe - and BVB can do a lot on Wednesday to ensure that this position would be enough to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

The Bundesliga is in a promising position in the race for an additional place in next season's top flight. And Borussia Dortmund can do a lot to secure this bonus place themselves. With a win against PSG on Wednesday, all three Bundesliga clubs would only need to pick up one more point in their semi-finals in the first and second legs in order to avoid being overtaken by the Premier League (England) or Ligue 1 (France).

"We have to quickly turn our attention to Wednesday in order to turn fifth place into a Champions League place for us in the end. We have that in our own hands," said sporting director Sebastian Kehl after the game in Leipzig. "We won't give up and we'll also try to qualify for the Champions League in other ways," assured Julian Brandt with a view to the league and Champions League, adding: "I haven't just turned pro this year and I know how to focus on the next game with just a few days' turnaround."

‘We've shown that we can flick the switch very quickly. We have a huge opportunity on Wednesday, an amazing game ahead of us that everyone is looking forward to,’ confirmed Gregor Kobel and advised everyone to “let the frustration out today, talk about what didn't go well and then go full throttle in the Champions League”.

Kehl is also optimistic about Wednesday's semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain at the sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. "We'll get our head in the game because it's a different competition. We've shown that often enough. The whole of Germany is looking forward to this game. We haven't been in the semi-finals of the Champions League since 2013. We will approach it with maximum focus." The sporting director then added: "We'll lick our wounds and one or two players will be available again on Wednesday."

Captain Emre Can, left-back Ian Maatsen and presumably Marcel Sabitzer, who was only able to train to a limited extent during the week due to an infection, should be back. Kehl gave the all-clear for Mats Hummels, who suffered a cut to his shin in Leipzig. The sporting director then sent out a message to the fans: "We need a good atmosphere, we need euphoria from off the pitch, we need our stadium."
Boris Rupert