Final game of the season: U23s away in Saarbrücken | OneFootball

Stuttgart II (46 points, goal difference -10) will host RW Essen, while SV Waldhof Mannheim (46 points, goal difference -1) will be away to promoted club and DFB-Pokal finalists Arminia Bielefeld. If the Black & Yellows (43 points, goal difference -6) win in Saarbrücken, they will still need to hope that their rivals both lose – in Mannheim's case, it would have to be by a big enough margin for Borussia Dortmund to end up with a better goal difference.

But the Black & Yellows first need to win their own game on Saturday. Opponents Saarbrücken are in the thick of a battle for the promotion play-off spot and are currently in fourth place, level on points with but behind Energie Cottbus. "Both teams have to win. But I do believe that our boys will cope well with that. They should be looking forward to the game and the fantastic setting and then it's all about capitalising on the atmosphere for us," said U23 coach Mike Tullberg.

The Saarland outfit suffered an unexpected 4-2 defeat away to Alemannia Aachen last weekend and slipped out of the promotion places in the process. Saarbrücken have won only two of their last five home games, losing to Stuttgart II and Dynamo Dresden during that time. On top of that, they were held to a draw by VfL Osnabrück. Saarbrücken and BVB's U23s drew 0-0 in the reverse fixture at Stadion Rote Erde.

Given the pre-match state of play, the fans at Ludwigsparkstadion will ensure a loud atmosphere on Saturday afternoon – but Mike Tullberg and his team will not let themselves be impacted by that. "The lads are pitching in superbly and making a good impression. We have to take control of the game via possession. By playing a good game, we can also influence the atmosphere," said Tullberg. However, the BVB boss will have to do without several players: Michael Eberwein, Franz Roggow and Rodney Elongo-Yombo are suspended and will not be able to play a part.