With Bayern on their minds, Borussia Dortmund must now turn their attention to Hoffenheim ahead of the weekend’s Bundesliga summit meeting.

The summit is looming, but Edin Terzic is not wasting any thoughts on Bayern yet. “The opponent and the circumstances don’t even allow us to think about anything other than the DFB Cup game,” the Borussia Dortmund coach said ahead of Wednesday’s second-round game (6 p.m./Sky) against TSG Hoffenheim.

The environment is already looking forward to the game against Bayern Munich, the duel is on everyone’s lips – but BVB has to do a balancing act this week. Before Terzic and Co. can fully focus on the key game that will determine the direction of travel, the Borussians are still in the cup. The Bayern game? No, he doesn’t have that “even on his mind yet,” assured sports director Sebastian Kehl. So one step at a time.

Terzic focuses on freshness

In order not to jeopardize the team’s chances in the DFB Cup, the coach has once again sharpened the minds of his professionals. “We know how difficult the task that awaits us will be,” said Terzic, who, in view of the intensive week, nevertheless wants to place a particular focus on the “freshness factor” when selecting his team. Bayern will visit Hoffenheim on Saturday (6:30pm/Sky), followed by Newcastle United the following week.

It is therefore all the more important that BVB will probably be able to count on the services of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and Mats Hummels again on Wednesday. “We still have a few players with question marks over them. But none of them are definitely out,” said Terzic. Captain Emre Can and Felix Nmecha should also be ready to play again. Despite a nasal bone contusion, Kobel’s injury is “looking quite good”. Hummels, who had taken a knock to the head, is “feeling better”.

Personnel issues were therefore less of a headache for Terzic, and the BVB coach had to brood much more about his team’s two faces after the wild draw at Eintracht Frankfurt (3:3). The Borussians have recently appeared more pragmatic and mature. Against the Hessians, however, Dortmund appeared uninspired, unimaginative, defensively vulnerable for long periods – and revealed problems that should have been resolved long ago.

In Frankfurt: problems in pressing, lack of willingness

“What we didn’t like was the gaps when we pressed,” criticized Terzic, who also criticized ‘the willingness to do everything defensively to switch again’. Against TSG, it’s about ‘sharpening our senses again. We know about Hoffenheim’s counterattacking strength’. But above all, Munich’s offense, with Harry Kane and Leroy Sane, should punish any carelessness.

“We are very stable and successful in our home games. We want to prove that in the next three games,” said Kehl. And despite the critical words, Terzic also emphasized the morale and mentality of his team, after all, BVB came back twice from behind in Frankfurt. It was ‘not so long ago that things looked different,’ he said: ”I think we’ve worked hard for that.”

This attitude will also be important against Hoffenheim – and against Bayern.