Marco Reus will lead the Dortmund team onto the pitch as captain at the end of the Bundesliga season on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) against SV Darmstadt 98.
“We want to offer him the environment he deserves,” said football teacher Edin Terzic before the last appearance of the veteran, who left in the summer, in the black and yellow jersey in front of his home crowd. Reus actually handed over the captain’s armband to Emre Can last summer.
The Dortmund native (34), whose contract with BVB (Borussia Dortmund) expires in the summer will not be extended, is about to play his 294th Bundesliga game (119 goals) for the club he loves. “You can tell how much love is shown to him. Not many players get that,” commented Terzic, hoping for an emotional farewell to the club legend in front of the south stand.
Unlike in the last two games against Augsburg (5:1) and Mainz (0:3), in which Terzic was without ten regular players due to the already secure qualification for the premier class, this time the rotation will be less extensive. Ultimately, it is also important for BVB top performers not to lose their rhythm with a view to the Champions League final two weeks later at Wembley Stadium. “We’ll have a really good team on the pitch,” announced Terzic, “we didn’t have anyone complaining about any problems this week. The boys are fresh.”
A victory over Darmstadt should contribute to a positive mood for the premier class showdown against Real Madrid. “Even though it will be a very emotional day for Marco Reus, we still have a really big game ahead of us on June 1st,” said Terzic.
Regardless of the outcome of the game against the bottom team from Darmstadt, who have already been relegated, BVB will finish a season outside the top four for the first time in nine years. “We imagined the league season differently and are dissatisfied with fifth place,” said Terzic, but referred to the successful performances in Europe. “We overperformed in the Champions League.” When asked about his favorite moment this season, the coach replied: “I don’t want to think about that yet. I hope it’s coming up in two weeks.”
The future of BVB defense chief Hummels remains open
The future of Mats Hummels at Borussia Dortmund (BVB) remains open one day before the fifth-placed team’s last Bundesliga game of the season on Saturday against SV Darmstadt 98 (3:30 p.m./Sky). “We will make the decision together after the Champions League final. If Mats doesn’t change his mind, we will stick to this plan,” said coach Edin Terzic on Friday, with a view to Borussia’s premier class showdown on June 1st in London against Real Madrid. The 35-year-old Hummel’s contract expires this summer.
The fact that the recently strong Hummels was not nominated for the German national team’s European Championship squad apparently does not force the 2014 world champion’s thoughts about a possible end to his career. “I noticed that the decision affected him. He absolutely deserved to be at the European Championships,” said Terzic, commenting on the personnel selection by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who announced his provisional 27-man squad for the home European Championships on Thursday had presented.
Terzic hopes to continue working with Hummels: “Mats has clearly shown what he is still capable of. He has shown what he wants: to play football at the absolute top level.”
The BVB share was temporarily 0.62 percent higher at 4.07 euros in XETRA trading.
DORTMUND (dpa-AFX)
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2024-05-17 12:56:00
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