Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Pressure on Dortmund 'brutal' - Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann

Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann says all the pressure will be on Borussia Dortmund when they meet at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday, telling Sky: "They must finish third. We don't have to, we just want to."

On Sunday, Hoffenheim secured a late 1-0 win over DFB Pokal finalists Eintracht Frankfurt to move one point clear of fourth-placed Dortmund, who had been held by Cologne the previous day.

Both sides are now assured of a top-four finish but Nagelsmann said Dortmund will be desperate to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League rather than having to risk going through the playoffs at the start of next season.

"The pressure on Dortmund is brutal," the 29-year-old said. "They must finish third. We don't have to, we just want to."

Benjamin Hubner, who scored the winning goal against Frankfurt, backed his coach's words.

"We've already secured qualification for the Champions League [playoffs] and now we try to go for the direct path," the defender said. "We are under no big pressure. The pressure is on Dortmund. We'll try and get something there as well."

Dortmund are also well aware of the importance of the match.

"It's a real 'final' for third place," winger Marco Reus said in kicker, while CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said the match could effectively settle which side will go into the playoffs with only two league games to follow.

He added: "If it's a draw, we'll have to wait until the final match day."

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