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Thomas Tuchel has urged his players to be "sharp" and "focused" when Borussia Dortmund travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Tuchel also confirmed Marco Reus will be part of the squad for the match but only as "an option from the bench." Dortmund, last season's runners-up, are currently third in the Bundesliga behind leaders RB Leipzig and reigning champions Bayern Munich, but they are level on points with Cologne, Hoffenheim, Hertha and Frankfurt below them. Frankfurt this term have impressed under coach Niko Kovac, who has given the team a more defensive structure with a three-man defence and two wing-backs, one of them being the United States international Timothy Chandler. They have conceded only nine goals from their 11 games, with five of them coming from the two home draws with Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin, and are undefeated in their last seven home games. "It's a super difficult match for us," Tuchel told reporters at his prematch news conference on Friday. "They have taken a very good direction under Niko Kovac. They hardly allow any chances. And we need to be fast, and without mistakes in the build-up play to get them. We need patience and we need to be focused. Sharpness must be our key."
Dortmund go into the match following wins against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and Legia Warsaw in the Champions League, to bounce back from an unsuccessful October, when they failed to win a single league match. "Our focus is on our sharpness, on our punch. That's our foundation right now. Our game is too prone to mistakes right now to play less aggressive. It's extremely difficult for our match," Tuchel said. The Dortmund coach has all his key players available for the Frankfurt match, but announced that he will rest Reus following his comeback against Warsaw, when he provided two goals and two assists. "To play him twice over 90 minutes within a few days would be too big a risk. He's an option from the bench," Tuchel said, adding that former Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa is currently struggling with minor ankle problems.
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