Dortmund missing Germany quartet for Schalke derby

Borussia Dortmund will be without a quartet of Germany internationals for Saturday’s Ruhr derby clash with Schalke.

Thomas Tuchel expected to be without Marco Reus and Mario Gotze for the trip to Gelsenkirchen but has been dealt another blow with the news winger Andre Schurrle and full-back Erik Durm, as well as former Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Rode, will also be absent.

Tuchel told reporters: “Erik Durm, as well as Andre Schurrle, is out. Schurrle came back from international duty with an injury while Durm sustained a muscle injury in training and is not ready.

“It’s annoying when players return injured, especially with Marco Reus and Mario Gotze already out. Schurrle suffered a knock to his foot.”

So könnten sie spielen // This is how they might line-up for tomorrow’s #s04bvb pic.twitter.com/bATCRBBLRz

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) March 31, 2017

On the plus side, Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa is fit, while Tuchel will wait on Christian Pulisic to see how the United States international looks after a long midweek journey.

Tuchel added: “We will have to wait and see on Christian but he’s definitely in the squad. It is complicated. The justified hype and the way opponents play takes its toll.”

The Dortmund fans will be hoping their favourites shape up physically for what Tuchel expects to be a draining Bundesliga contest.

He said: “We’re going to Gelsenkirchen to win. It’ll be tough but we’re confident that we can pull it off.

“Schalke are a physical side, who play with a lot of heart. We have to emulate those virtues and play with at least the same verve.”