Can this star propel Dortmund past Spurs?

Borussia Dortmund are likely to have captain and talisman Marco Reus back in the squad for Friday’s match at Augsburg and his return could not have come sooner for the German Bundesliga leaders. Reus has been sidelined with injury for a month but his return comes just as the club prepares to face Tottenham Hotspur in a return leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash.

The Ruhr valley club almost instantly lost their spark and attacking game when their top scorer was injured earlier this month. They had a five-game winless run across all competitions and saw their seven-point gap at the top shrink to just three. Since Reus got injured, the club failed to win the following three matches – throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at home to Hoffenheim, losing 3-0 in the Champions League first leg against Tottenham and drawing goalless at Nurnberg.

That poor run of form was cut when English youngster Jadon Sancho inspired Lucien Favre’s to a dramatic 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday as Bayern Munich threatened to close up further on their rival in the Bundesliga title race. With champions Bayern Munich on their heels, Dortmund, more confident after last week’s 3-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, hope Reus’ return will give them their edge back.

Reus has not played since his injury in their February 5 German Cup exit to Werder Bremen. The 29-year-old Germany winger, who until then enjoyed a stellar season with 13 goals and six assists, returned to team training this week but has not completed a full session. “He is back training with the team but not the complete session yet. We have to be sensible. He has only trained twice with the team now,” coach Lucien Favre said.

“He will most like be there (on Friday) but we will still have to discuss it with the team doctor,” the Dortmund coach added. The Black & Yellows lead the standings on 54 points, with Bayern Munich, who have won the last six league titles, on 51 points. “Against Augsburg we have to play a very good pressing game and play higher than we did against Leverkusen,” the Swiss coach said. After Augsburg, Dortmund host Tottenham Hotspur next week in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg with their chances slim following their 3-0 first leg loss in London.

W