Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund caretaker coach Edin Terzic calls for Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho to step up

Berlin: Borussia Dortmund caretaker coach Edin Terzic wants to get club captain Marco Reus and England winger Jadon Sancho back in form as quickly as possible, starting with Friday’s tricky away match at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. Terzic, 38, made a winning start in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory at Bremen, two days since taking over after Lucien Favre was dismissed in the wake of Saturday’s 5-1 home thrashing by Stuttgart. Germany star Reus converted a late penalty to seal the win in Bremen, but has been struggling to recapture his best form after a lengthy groin injury. Likewise, Sancho has so far failed to score a league goal this season after netting 17 times and creating 17 assists in the 2019/20 Bundesliga campaign. Star striker Erling Braut Haaland is sidelined by a hip injury until January and Terzic hopes Reus, who has scored 133 goals in 285 appearances for Dortmund, and Sancho hit their best form soon. “We have to remember the way they have made a difference in the past. The boys are good, they know that,” Terzic said in Thursday’s press conference. “We will bring them back to that form, bit by bit.” Dortmund are fourth in the table, six points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen who host second-placed Bayern Munich in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash. An away win at sixth-placed Union would boost Dortmund’s title hopes before the Bundesliga starts a two-week winter break. Terzic knows there is plenty of room to improve. “The boys are smart enough to know that things are not going optimally,” admitted Terzic, who has a contract for the rest of the season. “Together we have identified potential where we can improve in terms of play.” Dortmund crashed to a shock 3-1 defeat last season at Union’s Alten Foersterei ground in eastern Berlin, where Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw last Saturday. Nevertheless, Terzic expects Dortmund to be good enough for another away win. “What we showed (in Bremen) is the standard of will that we always have to show,” he insisted.