This reaction came promptly: After his sending-off in the Champions League exit in Lisbon, BVB all-rounder Emre Can led the way in the 3:1 win over Wolfsburg. And not only with his successfully converted penalty kick. Now he looks ahead – to the Bundesliga classic against his former club Bayern Munich.
The pressure on the shoulders of Borussia Dortmund’s players and officials was great last Saturday. A reaction was expected to the 3-1 defeat at Sporting Lisbon, which meant Champions League elimination. Not least from Emre Can, who had done his team a disservice in Portugal with his unnecessary sending-off in the final phase. And the 27-year-old delivered.
Before the penalty kick at 0:1, the international resolutely grabbed the ball – and sank it for the important equaliser. But that was not the only reason why Can redeemed himself. Together with Mahmoud Dahoud, he also made his mark apart from his goal, convincing in both fighting and playing in the centre. “We really wanted to bring freshness,” said BVB coach Marco Rose, explaining the choice of Can and Dahoud, which was accompanied by the absence of veteran Axel Witsel. It was a risk because both had been out for weeks recently, but one that paid off in the end. “They gave us stability and football, similar to Axel over many games also in the past weeks,” praised Rose, who can once again look forward to having alternatives in his squad.
Bellingham is not a write-off yet
Unlike in the weeks before, the team is no longer lining itself up ahead of the upcoming clash with FC Bayern. And the mere fact that Erling Haaland is likely to be available from the start again after his successful short stint against the “Wolves” (one goal) increases confidence on the part of the black and yellows. Raphael Guerreiro and Youssoufa Moukoko, who played 62 minutes for Dortmund’s U23s in the 0-0 draw against Kaiserslautern at the weekend, are also expected to return. With Jude Bellingham (knee problems), the Borussians have not yet completely given up hope of a comeback against Munich.
The win in Wolfsburg, which took the wind out of the sails of the burgeoning criticism in the days before, was also a boon for Borussia’s self-confidence and self-image, which this time was not thrown off course by the early goal conceded. “It was very important that we kept playing football after that,” said Can, “that wasn’t always the case in the past weeks.” But on Saturday, he said, they “just wanted to win” – and that determination really expressed itself on the pitch in Wolfsburg.
How many fans are allowed into the stadium?
With a one-point deficit and new tailwind, BVB now goes into the home match against Bayern. However, it is still open how many spectators will attend the match. After the discussions about the 50,000 fans at the derby between Cologne and Mönchengladbach and in view of numerous statements from politicians – not least from NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst – it seems difficult to imagine that 67,000 fans will be allowed into Signal Iduna Park as planned. A decision on a possible reduction in capacity could be made as early as Tuesday, when the state premiers meet with Germany’s caretaker chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor Olaf Scholz in a conference call.
Can will – as of today – be there in any case. And as an active player. He already outlined what will be important against the record champions in Wolfsburg: “The most important thing is that we fought for each other and played as a team,” he said after the away win. He added that it would have to be similar against FC Bayern. “For that, we have to work hard beforehand and prepare well. We all have to be aware of how important the game is. Then we will see what happens.”
Nobody concealed the fact that Borussia still has work to do, even after the important success in Wolfsburg. As good as the Bundesliga standings are at the moment, the exit from the top flight still hurts – and not all of the deficiencies in the game have been remedied. “If you look at our season so far,” Rose admitted, “we have to improve. You have to be that honest. “
When BVB resume work on Tuesday after Monday off, there will still be four full days to do so before the top match.
