17 kilometres separate the stadiums of Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum. So it will be a short business trip for BVB when they set off on Saturday lunchtime for the first minor Revierderby since 13 March 2010. Back then, the Black and Yellows won 4:1 at Castroper Straße – a repeat is rather unlikely.
Three home wins in a row have boosted the confidence of Bochum’s promoted side, and the mere four home goals conceded by VfL this season are also more than respectable. Coach Thomas Reis’ team is one of the positive surprises of the past few months – and can start the little Revier derby against Borussia Dortmund in a correspondingly free mood. At least that’s how BVB coach Marco Rose sees it.
“Their victories have given them self-confidence, they have enough distance to the bottom “, says the 45-year-old, who is not allowed to sit on the bench on Saturday due to his yellow card against FC Bayern, and sums up: “On a day like Saturday, you can therefore try to really annoy BVB. That makes them dangerous. We have to be careful there. “
We don’t talk about it all the time.
Rose did not put any special derby preparation on the schedule this English week. However, he did forgo a day off for his team. “That,” he says, “speaks for the fact that we see the derby as an important game, even if we don’t talk about it all the time.” The BVB coach wanted his team to stay focused after Tuesday’s 5-0 victory over Besiktas in the Champions League, which was sovereign and played out in a serious manner, “to keep the focus”, “to work things out”. There are three games left until the short winter break – three games in which BVB would like to keep contact with leaders FC Bayern and ideally increase the gap to the bottom.
Rose is convinced that the match against the neighbouring team will not be a foregone conclusion. Not only because he knows his buddy Reis very well from their joint football coaching course in 2014/2015. “They have adjusted a few things after having a difficult start. Things are working now. They’re getting rolling without having left their basic path,” says Rose, concluding for his team: “We have to be careful not to run into counters and not to make simple mistakes in defence.” Otherwise, the post could quickly go off in the direction of Dortmund’s goal – and the backdrop could come into play as an additional factor.
Although only 13,799 spectators – including 650 from Dortmund – are admitted due to the Corona, the derby atmosphere should still prevail. VfL is known for an “outstanding atmosphere” in a “beautiful football stadium that is small and cramped”, says Rose. “We have to be prepared for that. “
