Bundesliga preview: Goetze, Reus put Dortmund first

Mario Goetze has praised his new Borussia Dortmund team-mate Marco Reus as the reigning Bundesliga champions prepare for Nuremberg.

Reus started ahead of Goetze in the Bundesliga season opener against Bremen, with the latter coming on in the second half, as both young playmakers scored in Dortmund’s 2-1 win.

But Goetze has no problems with the presence of Reus, who joined from Borussia Moenchengladbach during the off season, and was thrilled with the 23-year-old’s performance in his Dortmund debut.

“He (Reus) proved his quality from the start against Bremen,” Goetze said.

“His goal was crucial, especially as it came early in the game.

“I’m very good friends with Marco and he’s integrated into the team very quickly.”

Goetze is still returning from a string of injuries that ruined his end to last season and while he claims he is 100 percent fit, he knows he still lacks match practice and that is why he started on the bench against Bremen.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder believes he will not start against Nuremberg as Dortmund try to keep the pressure on at the top of the Bundesliga table.

Dortmund are third on goal difference with seven clubs having won their opening games of the season.

Nuremberg are another club on three points after they knocked off Hamburg 1-0 in the first round.

Bayern Munich are on top of the pile with a goal difference of plus three after they thumped newly-promoted Greuther Furth 3-0 last week.

The Bavarian giants will host Stuttgart on Sunday, while Hannover will travel to Wolfsburg in the other later game of the weekend.

Fortuna Dusseldorf, who moved up into the Bundesliga through the playoffs last season, will host Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday in another clash between two first-round winners.

The third newly promoted club Eintracht Frankfurt also won last week and will hope to continue their promising start to life in the Bundesliga when they travel to Hoffenheim.

In other Saturday games, Mainz will host Greuther Furth, Schalke are set to take on Augsburg and Freiburg will visit Bayer Leverkusen.