Borussia Dortmund will face TSG Hoffenheim in the final (May 30, 3:30 p.m.) for the German U19 Championship. This is what BVB coach Mike Tullberg says ahead of the final.

For the fourth time in a row, Borussia Dortmund has reached the final of the German A-Junior Championship. BVB won the semi-final against Hertha BSC on penalties in dramatic fashion to book their place in the final. The final will take place on Thursday (May 30, 3:30 p.m., RS live ticker) at the Niederrheinstadion in Oberhausen.

TSG Hoffenheim await BVB there. The champions of the south/south-west season set an exclamation mark in the semi-final, sweeping Borussia Mönchengladbach off the pitch with a 10:2 aggregate score. “We want to enjoy the game and will do our best to bring the title back to Dortmund,” BVB coach Mike Tullberg was quoted as saying on the club’s website ahead of the clash with TSG. BVB last won the championship in 2022.

“Hoffenheim are in an exceptional year, play in a very mature and results-oriented manner. They have clear processes and their standards are difficult to defend against,” said Tullberg, praising Hoffenheim, who are coached by Tobias Nubbemeyer.

Not without reason: Dortmund have already learned painfully how strong TSG are this season. In the first round of the DFB Cup, BVB suffered a 6-0 defeat against the eventual champions. But Tullberg has long since put that defeat behind him: “A lot of negative things happened back then. We didn’t have a good day – myself included – and were punished severely for our mistakes. “

We’re really looking forward to this game. I hope our fans will use the U19 final as a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final and get in the mood for London in Oberhausen.

Mike Tullberg

The Dane relinquishes the role of favorite. In addition, Tullberg will have to do without his midfield strategist Rafael Lubach in the final, who was sent off with a yellow-red card against Hertha. “Hoffenheim are the favorites in my eyes, but a lot is possible in one game. We have to be more mature, more composed and more efficient than against Hertha,” said the 38-year-old.

For Tullberg, it is also a return to a former place of work. His playing career once ended at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, after which his coaching career took off with the U19 team there. He is therefore returning to the Niederrheinstadion with a good feeling: “We are really looking forward to this game. I hope that our fans will use the U19 final as a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final and get in the mood for London in Oberhausen. “