Dortmund boss Tuchel wary of Lotte 'sensation'

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel will have to plot a course past Sportfreunde Lotte without Julian Weigl and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Published : Mar 14, 2017 02:13 IST

Thomas Tuchel says Borussia Dortmund must avoid being caught up in the "sensation" of their DFB-Pokal quarter-final against third-tier Sportfreunde Lotte.

The sides will meet in a rearranged tie in Osnabruck on Tuesday. The original game had to be abandoned shortly before kick-off after snow left the pitch at Lotte's Frimo Stadion home unplayable.

Bayern Munich awaits the winner in the semifinal, with Lotte hoping to claim another Bundesliga scalp, having beaten Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen already this season.

Tuchel has warned his players to expect a difficult examination against the side sat third in the 3.Liga.

"They will try to create a sensation," Tuchel told a news conference. "This is a very courageous, aggressive and passionate team, comparable to a second-division side. They will look for chances with confidence.

"The game will be hard work. It will not necessarily be fun. We will need to give it our all to reach the next round."

Lotte's home advantage is diluted somewhat by the change of venue, and Tuchel is unsure how things will go at the Osnatel Arena.

"We do not know the pitch in Osnabruck, we will have to adjust ourselves on the day," he added.

"I do not see it giving either side an advantage. I do not know if the quality of the pitch is dramatically different."

Julian Weigl has "muscular problems" and his fitness will be judged before kick-off, while Tuchel must find a replacement for the suspended Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

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