Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Thomas Tuchel: Dortmund 'have the momentum' in Bayern Munich test

Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel said his side "have the momentum on our side" as they seek to overcome Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and reach the DFB Pokal final for a fourth consecutive season.

Dortmund and Bayern, who have met in the cup every season since 2011-12, meet again on Wednesday in the semifinals, less than three weeks after Munich's 4-1 home victory in the league.

Tuchel told his prematch news conference that "a lot of things happened" since that match, which came immediately prior to the Champions League quarterfinal first legs, when Bayern lost at home to Real Madrid and Dortmund's team bus was targeted in a bomb attack prior to a home defeat to Monaco.

Both sides were then eliminated from Europe, but Tuchel has taken encouragement from the way his players have responded on the domestic front, with back-to-back league victories over Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach.

"You need special moments at Munich, and for those special moments you need the momentum, and we believe we have the momentum on our side," Tuchel said.

Dortmund and Bayern have met three times in the final over the last five seasons, with Jurgen Klopp's BVB coming out on top in 2012 and Pep Guardiola's Munich taking the 2014 and 2016 trophies.

Bayern also beat Dortmund in the last four en route to their 2013 Treble under Jupp Heynckes, while Klopp's side beat Bayern on penalties in the 2015 semifinal at the Allianz Arena before losing the final to Wolfsburg.

That 2013 loss represents Dortmund's last Pokal defeat outside a final, though, and Tuchel is determined to secure his first trophy with the club at Berlin's Olympiastadion next month.

"We want to win it," he said. "We want to go to Berlin and win there. We need to overcome the biggest hurdle there is -- to beat Bayern away from home."

Dortmund will be without midfielder Nuri Sahin, who has an ankle injury, while Bild reported on Wednesday morning that Germany forward Andre Schurrle could miss the rest of the season with Achilles tendon inflammation. Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos faces a late fitness test.

Tuchel expressed confidence in his young squad, though, suggesting the heavy Bundesliga loss at the Allianz Arena could ultimately prove beneficial.

He highlighted the fact that several of his players had been making their first ever trip to Bayern, and said: "It's like skiing. Once you've gone down that black slope, the chances are much higher that you do it better next time.

"The players now know what is ahead of them and can adjust accordingly."

One of the most experienced players in Dortmund's squad, Marco Reus, has scored three goals in his three matches since returning from injury.

Tuchel said: "He's ready for great things. Whenever he plays, he scores important goals for us. That goes to show what and who we have been missing throughout this season.

"Marco is a guy who can do special things. We need him to be on top form, otherwise we don't have a chance in Munich."

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