Dropped points leaves Hummels fuming
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Frustration is rife in the Borussia Dortmund camp after two successive draws ahead of next Sunday's top-of-the-table clash at Bayern Munich, who seem unstoppable in their march to a fourth German Bundesliga title.
While league leaders Bayern have won all seven Bundesliga games so far, Dortmund have dropped four points after drawing 1-1 at Hoffenheim last Wednesday and then 2-2 at home to Darmstadt, who scored from their two shots on goal, on Sunday. "It felt more like a defeat," admitted Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.
Dortmund captain Mats Hummels could barely disguise his frustration at more points dropped before the Allianz Arena clash this coming Sunday. "You can't put it into words. The positioning for the last free-kick against us was extremely annoying," Hummels fumed after Darmstadt captain Aytac Sulu equalised in the 90th minute. "He shot from 13, 14 metres out and wasn't marked. That's no way to defend. It was pure luck from Darmstadt, they were dead.
"The annoying thing is that we once again failed to open up a seven-point gap on fourth. We've had two great chances in a row to do that, and we've messed up twice. That's what annoys us the most, because it's about finishing in the top three - ideally as comfortably and as quickly as possible."
Dortmund now face Greece's PAOK away in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday before heading to Munich. "Without doubt they're two tough matches, but we've played some terrific matches in Munich in recent years," said Hummels. "Sometimes we've won, other times we've lost.
"I don't think there's an obvious trend. It'll definitely be a good game, but first we want to take the next step towards the next round of the Europa League, then we'll be focusing on the Bundesliga again on Friday."
Bayern host Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday and will have two extra days to recover. The Bayern-Dortmund match will see the league's top two scorers go head-to-head. Robert Lewandowski, who has scored ten goals in six league games, will be up against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has set a new league record by scoring in his opening seven Bundesliga matches for a tally of nine goals.
Lewandowski is relishing the clash against his old club, who he left in 2014. "It will be a very important game for us," Lewandowski told German daily Bild. "We'll have to put our foot to the floor from the first to the last minute, because Dortmund are playing really, really well."
Dortmund are the clear underdogs for Sunday's clash and Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has coached both Borussia and Bayern, is tipping Pep Guardiola's side for a victory which could put them an ominous seven points clear. "In terms of head-to-head clashes, Bayern are way ahead because they simply have more individual talent and more experience," he told Bundesliga.com.