The youth matches at a glance
SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 – BVB (Regionalliga West): 14/08/2026, 7:30 p.m. (Belkaw Arena, tickets are available exclusively at the box office on matchday from 6 p.m.)
U19: BVB – FC Schalke 04 (DFB Youth League): 15/08/2026, 10:45 a.m. (BVB Youth Performance Center)
U17: VfL Bochum – BVB (DFB Youth League): 15/08/2026, 11 a.m. (Ruhrstadion grass pitch/athletics ground, Castroper Str. 145, Bochum)
U23 face tricky task away to promoted Bergisch Gladbach
After two consecutive draws against Bochum (1:1) and Cologne (1:1), the U23s are aiming for their first win of the season. A victory on Friday at SV Bergisch Gladbach 09 could dispel the feeling of not having been rewarded enough for their great efforts in the opening two matches. “I told the boys that they absolutely shouldn’t do any less. If you play like that, the probability is very high that you’ll take the three points at some stage,” says U23 head coach Daniel Rios, referring to his team’s committed display last Friday in front of more than 5,000 spectators at Stadion Rote Erde against Cologne.
As in the last match, U19 players Luke Fahrenhorst and Dafi Zarqelain are included in the squad. Dortmund, currently tenth in the table, are still behind the promoted side from Bergisch Gladbach. After a strong start to the league campaign with a 1:1 against Wattenscheid and a 3:1 win in Wiedenbrück, the newcomers sit in fourth place – two points ahead of BVB.
Special atmosphere ahead of U19 derby against Schalke 04
Just in time for the prestigious Ruhr derby against FC Schalke 04, coach Felix Hirschnagl’s team have got back to winning ways. The 4:2 victory in their opening DFB youth round match against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen at least partly made up for their first-round exit in the DFB Cup a week earlier against Holstein Kiel (3:4).
The clash with fellow Group H title contenders from Gelsenkirchen in the DFB Youth League offers a chance to build further momentum. “You can feel a special atmosphere. The boys already know that it’s one of the most important matches of the season. And of course we want to win it,” said Hirschnagl. A win would already give BVB a five-point cushion over the Royal Blues. Schalke were held to a 0:0 draw at home by MSV Duisburg in their opening match. One player to watch in particular is new BVB signing Bjarki Gardarsson. The 16-year-old Icelander scored three times against both Kiel and Oberhausen. “He’s very clinical in front of goal and also a very team-oriented player,” says BVB coach Hirschnagl.
U17 set for B1 clash with Bochum
It’s not only the U19s who will face opponents from the Ruhr area this weekend. Almost at the same time, the U17s travel to VfL Bochum on Saturday morning for a B1 clash. Coach Karsten Gorges’ team are likely to face a sterner test than in their superb 7:0 rout of Wuppertaler SV at the start of the DFB Youth League Group G season, a match watched by BVB managing director Lars Ricken. VfL, alongside BVB, are considered contenders for a top spot, even though they opened with a 5:3 defeat to Schalke. Even so, Gorges views the match in Bochum as an initial gauge of where his team stand: “Then we’ll see how far along we are.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.