Borussia Dortmund will host Azerbaijani side FK Gabala on Thursday evening at 7pm local time. Being the big favourites, Thomas Tuchel's men are eager to seal another win in order to underpin their aspiration to finish first of the UEFA Europa League group stage.
The clear underdogs from Gabala will try their best, but regarding the first leg, when BVB won 3-1 in Azerbaijan, there is not much hope for the minnows to gain something from the long trip to the Ruhrgebiet.
With a win, BVB can already seal their qualification to the first knock-out round of the tournament, even though three points will not guarantee a first place. Furthermore, FK Krasnodar have to win their game against PAOK Saloniki for Dortmund to be qualified for sure.
"We want to get past the group stage, we want to win the group stage and, if possible, make the first step on Thursday", said defender Matthias Ginter. He has played a very important part in their campaign so far.
"Sealing the qualification for the knock-out round as soon as possible do not make the matches against Krasnodar and Saloniki less entertaining and thrilling. But it is soothing to know that we are going to spend the winter in the Europa League", says Hans-Joachim Watzke, Borussia Dortmund's manager.
But their opponents will not give up the match before it has even started. Vagif Javadov, Qäbälä's striker, said that, "We understand that it will be a tough game, we are leaving for Germany not to lose, as we have already shown this at the match in Baku with some chances."
After some difficulties in the end of September and the first week of October, Thomas Tuchel's men have won the last five games in a row, including a stunning 7-1 win against 2. Bundesliga SC Paderborn 07 in the DFB-Pokal. For Gabala, the campaign has not gone so well. The team did not manage to score in the last three matches, losing once (0-1) and drawing twice.