Blaszczykowski aware of derby importance
Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski believes derbies against Schalke like the upcoming one on Saturday are the most significant games of the season.
By FOX Sports staff
Dortmund are currently ten points ahead of their Revierderby rivals in the Bundesliga and head into this weekend on a high, after booking their place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Although both sides were expected to be contenders for the German league title this season, neither have been able to match the dominance of Bayern Munich, who hold a 17-point lead at the top.
Still, Blaszczykowski believes their standings in the league will not affect the importance of Saturday's clash at the Veltins Arena.
"The derby games are always a bit special," he said on the Bundesliga's official website. "It's an important game for us here, the most important of the season.
"In the week leading up to the derby, you are absolutely focused. You can actually feel it.
"When you're up against a top team, it doesn't matter where you are in relative to the standings. Every game starts on a level playing field.
"When you lose a derby, you lose a measure of self-confidence as well. When we travel to Gelsenkirchen, nothing is on our mind but the game."
Dortmund fell to a 2-1 defeat to the Royal Blues when both sides met in the league earlier in the season.