In the ninth matchday of the U17 Bundesliga West, Borussia Dortmund will host FC Schalke 04. The match could open up the battle for the championship once again.
In the A-Junioren-Bundesliga West, the Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 is scheduled for Sunday (30 October). But when the ball starts rolling at the Hohenbuschei football park at 11 a.m., it will not only be a question of who is the number one in the league. It could also be a preliminary decision in the battle for the West championship.
Because the derby is also the duel of the second against the first. The Schalkers have had a flawless season so far and are unchallenged at the top with eight wins from eight games and a goal difference of 25:1. The last two games, also Ruhrpott duels, against VfL Bochum and MSV Duisburg were both won 2:0 by S04.
16-goal man probably in the mix
Five points behind them is BVB. For the Black and Yellows, all eyes are likely to be on forward talent Paris Brunner. The 16-year-old was not in the U19 squad against Viktoria Köln, which suggests that U17 coach Karsten Gorges may rely on his most goal-threatening man. In only five games with the U17s, Brunner scored an incredible 16 goals. In addition, he has already made nine appearances for the U19s (four goals, one assist) in all competitions (Bundesliga, DFB Cup, Youth League). Dortmund’s second-best attacker Alex Niziolek (seven goals) will be absent.
Most recently, the BVB’s form curve has been pointing downwards. In the league, there was a 2:3 defeat against Arminia Bielefeld. In addition, the test matches against VfL Wolfsburg (2:3) and TSG Hoffenheim (0:2) were lost.
BVB coach: “Everything in our hands “
In the short West Championship, in which the decision is made after only 15 games, the match could already be a preliminary decision. If S04 win, the lead over BVB is already eight points with only six games remaining. 1. FC Köln and Arminia Bielefeld could even overtake BVB and challenge Dortmund’s possible participation in the final round (only the first two teams qualify). If the Dortmunders win, they will move to within two points of S04 and everything will be open again in the battle for the championship.
Gorges himself firmly believes that his team can make the title fight exciting once again. “We have everything in our hands and are going into this game with great self-confidence,” he explained on the club’s own homepage. His opposite number Onur Cinel was full of praise before the match: “Borussia Dortmund is the best squad in the Bundesliga West and an outstanding striker is waiting for us,” the coach alluded to Brunner to club media. “It will be a very tough test in all areas. But we are also in a good mood and confident. “