In the Bundesliga on target, in Europe on the right path - Borussia Dortmund travels with confidence to the first final for the Champions League group victory in Amsterdam.

With a success this Tuesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on Amazon Prime Video) with the tied leaders, the round of 16 would already be within reach at halftime of the preliminary round.

“Ajax is already an oiled machine. We're not afraid, but we have great respect, ”said Marco Rose, full of anticipation for the game in the packed Amsterdam Arena. Like the coach, midfielder Julian Brandt also feels a special tension: "This is a game that everyone burns."

In the largest stadium in the Netherlands with 55,000 seats on Johan Cruijff Boulevard, Borussia faces a more demanding task than in the previous international appearances against Besiktas Istanbul (2: 1) and Sporting Lisbon (1: 0).

Because the leaders of the Eredivisie, who defeated the previously pointless group opponents from Turkey (5: 1) and Portugal (2: 0) even more confidently, has a similarly good run as BVB.

“The mood is hot, the opponent is strong.

It will be a very big challenge, "commented Rose before the team's bus trip to the Dutch metropolis.

"We will have little time"

Above all, the strong pressing of the opponent demands respect from the coach: “We won't have much time if we have the ball ourselves.

We have to make good use of this time.

But we also stand for exchange of blows, but we mustn't let it get too far. ”Brandt's appreciation for the opponent is similarly high:“ What kind of football they are currently playing is outstanding. ”

At the start of a hot autumn with six games in 19 days, Dortmund's hopes for the return of ailing regulars were not fulfilled.

For Mahmoud Dahoud as well as Giovanni Reyna, Raphael Guerreiro and Youssoufa Moukoko, the game at Ajax Amsterdam comes too early.

After all, the long-term injured Dan-Axel Zagadou is back in the squad for the first time in months.

Regardless of the continued tense personnel situation, national player Emre Can gave the direction: “Ajax have a strong team.

But we can also play football.

We have to be confident.

Our goal is to win there. "

In view of the many failures and the impending deadline, Trainer Rose currently attaches great importance to load management.

With Erling Haaland, Mats Hummels, Manuel Akanji, Thomas Meunier, Nico Schulz and Julian Brandt, six professionals were missing from the final team training that was still held in Dortmund on Monday, but they are available in Amsterdam.

"He has made an extreme improvement"

The duel between the first and the second is also a test of strength for the two goalscorers Sebastien Haller and Erling Haaland.

The former Frankfurt and current Ajax attacker leads the current top scorer list with five hits and also scored at the weekend in Ajax's 2-0 in Heerenveen.

Dortmund's goal machine Haaland was the best scorer in the competition last season and contributed two goals to his team's 3-1 over FSV Mainz last Saturday.

According to Brandt, his teammate doesn't need to shy away from comparison: “For me personally, Erling is among the top 3 strikers in the world.

He has improved a lot in his game outside of the box, holds balls and delivers assists. "