Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Borussia Dortmund's Thomas Tuchel: Revierderby is like a fourth trophy

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel says the Revierderby against Schalke is a competition in its own right which his side are desperate to win.

The 87th Bundesliga meeting between Dortmund and Schalke takes place on Sunday, with Tuchel's side having the chance to open up a nine-point lead on their rivals.

BVB, who sit second in the table, have scored 68 goals in 21 competitive matches this season, while their average of 3.24 goals per game is higher than league leaders Bayern Munich's 3.06 goal average.

Dortmund have scored in every one of their last 31 games, and following the international break last month they recorded six consecutive wins, scoring 24 goals in the process and only conceding four.

During the same period, Schalke managed to claim three points only once, and have racked up two defeats and three draws since coming out on top against 10-man Hertha Berlin on Oct. 17.

On Thursday, BVB qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League with a 4-0 victory over FK Gabala, and during the final 20 minutes supporters warmed up for their meeting with their local rivals by chanting: "We want the derby win."

"This will be a special match," Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus told kicker. "[It will be a] tight and difficult match, which will be decided by form on the day."

The Germany international, however, will miss the derby after sustaining torn muscle fibre in the Europa League clash.

Sunday's game will be Tuchel's first experience of the Revierderby and he is well aware of its importance.

"That's quite simply the derby in Germany," he told Sky Deutschland. "And that's why there is no clear-cut favourite because it has its own rules."

He added: "We are aware that this is a fourth competition here. We've got the Europa League, the DFB Pokal and the championship -- and we've got two games against Schalke. And we by all means want to win that competition too, and we are ready for it."

Schalke will be without a number of key players for the game, including injured captain Benedikt Howedes and suspended midfielder Johannes Geis.

Leroy Sane, who has hit four goals in 11 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke this season, will be contesting his first derby at the Westfalenstadion, and he told kicker: "I hope that I can score in the derby as well. I feel the buzz, but also a thrill of anticipation."

The Germany under-21 international added that he was looking forward to seeing Dortmund's attackers in action.

"You can learn from many players, and also from those of the arch-rival," he said. "When you look at how Marco Reus or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang play right now, you can definitely learn a lot by watching them."

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