First win of 2026? BVB U23 host VfL Bochum II | OneFootball

With draws against Sportfreunde Lotte (1:1) and Wuppertaler SV (2:2), Borussia Dortmund II has not had the hoped-for start to the new year. In their third attempt, however, BVB’s U23 now aims to secure their first win after the winter break on Sunday in the small Ruhr derby against VfL Bochum II (kickoff: 2 p.m. at Stadion Rote Erde).

Bochum’s second team currently occupies 16th place in the table, which is the first relegation spot, but last weekend they secured an important victory against SV Rödinghausen (2:0). For this reason, BVB coach Daniel Rios warns on the club’s homepage not to underestimate the promoted side and instead expects a tricky task: “Bochum is further along than at the start of the season, as their recent results show. They will do everything they can to make life difficult for us.”

Returnees expand the options

Rios also criticized his team after the draw in Wuppertal for not making life any easier for themselves: “That was not enough from us. It doesn’t look like there’s a clear idea behind it. Just passing and passing on responsibility is not enough,” said the 46-year-old, who especially sees plenty of room for improvement in playing against compact opponents and has worked on this intensively during the week: “Many more opponents will defend deeper against us and wait for transition moments. I am convinced that the boys can do better.”

Unavailable against Bochum II are the suspended Babis Drakas and the injured Pharell Kegni. However, captain Tony Reitz is an option again after serving his suspension. Bennedikt Wüstenhagen and Arne Wessels also return to the squad, in which veteran Patrick Göbel will also be included again after a long injury break and a brief comeback in Wuppertal. It is also possible that top talent Mussa Kaba, after returning to team training, will be part of the squad.

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