BVB U23 visit 1. FC Köln – Jordi Paulina and Mussa Kaba still out | OneFootball

Two weeks after the exhilarating 4-1 victory in the small derby against FC Schalke 04 II, the next reserve team of a professional club awaits Borussia Dortmund's U23. On Saturday at 3:30 PM, BVB's second team will visit 1. FC Köln and hopes to continue the positive trend, apart from the 1-2 loss against 1. FC Bocholt in early November, at the Franz-Kremer-Stadion.

"Of course, it would have been nicer if we had played again directly in the week after the 4-1," said coach Daniel Rios on the club's website, making no secret of the fact that the international break did not come at an optimal time. Nevertheless, he hopes to build on the performance against Schalke: "We try to push our limits higher and higher. It's about stabilizing and not having such big fluctuations from week to week."

Rios with Respect for the Opponent

If successful, BVB's U23 can jump to third place, which is currently three points away. While left-back Almugera Kabar openly states the goal of wanting to "attack at the top," Mussa Kaba and Jordi Paulina will not yet be back in Cologne. Kaba, after the disappointing exit in the round of 16 of the U17 World Cup against Burkina Faso, and Paulina, who achieved a historic World Cup qualification with Curaçao, will receive some recovery time and will be reintegrated next week.

Since Köln's U23 recently won twice in a row against SSVg Velbert (4-1) and at SV Rödinghausen (3-2), and is likely to play confidently, BVB coach Rios expects an intense 90 minutes: "This is a young team that wants to control the game and plays boldly—especially at home. It won't be an easy task."

After 17 points from the last eight games, Borussia can also travel to the cathedral city with confidence.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.