Wolfsberger AC - Borussia Dortmund Preview: Tuchel looking for first competitive win

Thomas Tuchel gets his Borussia Dortmund reign officially started on Thursday evening against Wolfsberger AC in the third UEFA Europa League qualifying round. The Austrians will provide a stern test for the Bundesliga giants, who are looking for a fresh start after a poor showing last season.

The Westphalians won't be playing in Wolfsberger's tradition home, the Lavanttal-Arena, but instead at the impressive Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt. This will be much more to Dortmund's taste, in what is a fantastic footballing venue rather than their hosts' usual 7300 capacity ground.

Just four years ago, Wolfsberger broke into the top flight for the very first time in their 84 year history. From there the club have gone from strength to strength and last season's fifth place finish was a great achievement for them and manager Dietmar Kühbauer.

For Borussia Dortmund, they recovered magnificently to finish 7th after ending up bottom of the table after the Hinrunde's final game. Despite this not being Europe's elite competition, Tuchel will be keen to go far in the Europa League - as preparation for, what BVB hope, will be a return to the Champions League next year.

Key players

Jacobo Ynclán is the main man when it comes to the Austrian side. The Spaniard has been a consistent performer since arriving in 2011 and had a fantastic season last time out. Not blessed with pace, Ynclán is a tactician and possesses great technique - something BVB will be very wary of.

His total of six goals and 14 assists last campaign is testament to how creative he can be, and the attacking midfielder will need to be on top form if they are to take anything from the game. Christopher Wernitznig is another player that Tuchel will have informed his men about well in advance.

Dortmund will be looking towards Marco Reus to provide the inspiration in the Wörthersee Stadion. The highly sought-after winger scored against Juventus in their most recent friendly, running the length of the pitch to nutmeg Leonardo Bonucci and rocket it into the back of the net.

BVB and their fans have been reassured over his future with his agency announcing that his plans were to remain in Dortmund - something that should keep everyone settled and happy. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been in fantastic form and will be keen to continue that on Thursday.

Referee

Davide Massa will take charge of this Europa League tie, with the Italian having already overseen APOEL's game against Vardar in this year's competition. In the Serie A last term, he handed out 10 red cards and 97 yellows - evidence that he is not afraid to punish players for the slightest misdemeanour.