The Citizen (KZN)

Dortmund seek a 90-minute effort

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– Fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund host Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow hoping to keep their noses in front in their battle to finish in the Champions League placings.

Dortmund sit one point ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig, having been six points behind the Saxons at Christmas.

Dortmund are a club heavily dependent on the income the Champions League brings, and have only missed the top four once in the past 13 years.

Tomorrow, they face the same opposition against whom their season started to unravel last October.

After a chaotic and pulsating 3-3 draw in Frankfurt, Dortmund lost four of their next nine as clouds gathered around the future of coach Edin Terzic.

Five months later and Dortmund look to have steadied the ship, having lost just one of their past 14 and reaching the Champions League last-eight.

But their strong results have come despite wildly inconsiste­nt form – sometimes during the same match.

Nowhere was this clearer than in Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven, where Dortmund swung from having complete control to hanging on for dear life.

Terzic was at a loss to explain his side’s inconsiste­ncy, telling DAZN: “We played the best 30 minutes we played this season. Then in the second-half, we completely stopped playing.

“We’re happy about the firsthalf and frustrated about the second. We need to turn this phase from the first 30 minutes into a 90-minute performanc­e.”

One positive is the return to form of Jadon Sancho (above), who has scored in his past two games.

At the top of the table, Bayern can keep their slim title hopes alive with a win on today’s trip to last-placed Darmstadt. Leaders Leverkusen are away to Freiburg tomorrow. –

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