A great club is Ajax, emphasized Marco Rose one day before the meeting on Tuesday (21 clock, live! At Champions League); One who had great players over years and have a clear philosophy. And that can also be seen in the current team that can show six points after two Champions League games: They play a 4-3-3 with a lot of possession and very dominant, have a good counterpressing and are very Aggressive against the ball. That will be a big challenge.

He will face Borussia Dortmund, promises Rose, because we want to take anything and persist in the group . Which solutions are needed against the aggressive opponent? Through the high pressing there are rooms in the back of the defense, because we need depth. In the center we can not take many contacts, we will not have much time. And we also need phases in which we calm down the game. A possible impact exchange, a switching festival should not be over 90 minutes if possible: We can not let it be done. Certainly not against such a oiled machine .

Brandt: No exchange with Götze

Also Julian Brandt, in addition to Rose on the podium of the press conference, exudes anticipation. Ajax has always remained faithful, they play a very attractive football and have one of the best youth works in Europe. From their means do they get out of all things out of what s going on, finds the midfielder and shows up from the two convincing games at Sporting ( 5: 1) and impressed against Besiktas (2: 0): What you just play in the Champions League for a football is outstanding.

The exchange with buddy Mario Götze, once players, today Netherlands legionnaire at the PSV Eindhoven, Brandt has not searched in the run-up to the game, Ajax is not an opponent, with which many question marks stand . It predominates the desire for the game: You realize everyone with us that he has extremely bock on it. It is extremely important for us to win the game, but it is one, on which everyone burns. With the national team, Brandt in 2018 and 2019 already hosted and knows twice in the Amsterdam Arena and knows: There is completely fire in it and you realize how football crops are the Dutch. We need 100 percent of our performance.

Zagadou for the first time since March in the squad

When training on Monday, the BVB lacked some regular players like Brandt, Mats Hummels, Erling Haaland or Manuel Akanji, but only the individualized stress on the second day after the league match against Mainz betrayed, Rose revealed, Some guys did well, to make something in the direction of this. We often talk about the load, because we have to look closely. A new injurer was not added after the weekend. Since Mahmoud Dahoud and Giovanni Reyna continued to lack, both will probably not be an issue for Amsterdam.

For this purpose, an old acquaintance sits again for the first time in the bus: Dan-Axel Zagadou may taste the cadre air for the first time since his knee surgery in March. That s no breakthrough, but he s there. Daxo is fit, he trained two weeks, says Rose. The center defender should get play practice again via the U 23. And striker Steffen Tigges will be back in the squad.