Mario Götze continues his comeback when Borussia Dortmund take on fourth-tier Alemannia Aachen in a friendly on Monday (kick-off: 6.30PM CEST/ 5.30PM BST/ 12.30PM EST).
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Götze scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season prior to the October international break as Dortmund edged Augsburg in a seven-goal thriller at the Signal Iduna Park. The 26-year-old was making his first Bundesliga appearance of 2018/19 following form and fitness issues, although he did play in UEFA Champions League and DFB Cup wins over Club Brugge and Greuther Fürth respectively. Lucien Favre is without a number of first-team players, but the likes of Mahmoud Dahoud, Raphael Guerreiro, Maximilian Philipp and the returning Ömer Toprak are all expected to play some part for the Bundesliga leaders.
It's 11 years since Aachen were last in the Bundesliga. They spent five seasons in Bundesliga 2, before experiencing successive relegations, and are currently plying their trade in the Regionalliga West - Germany's fourth tier. Fuat Kilic's side occupy seventh place in the standings after 13 matches. Dimitry Imbongo Boele is the club's top scorer with four goals in seven games. Fellow striker Vincent Boesen, who joined Aachen from the reserve team of promoted Bundesliga outfit Nuremberg in the summer, has scored twice this term.
Probable line-ups
Aachen: Jakusch - Müller, Hackenberg, Salata, Stulin - Kaiser, Pütz, Redjeb, Holtby - Boele, BoesenAbsentees: Schmitt (knee)Coach: Fuat Kilic
Dortmund: Hitz - Toljan, Toprak, Zagadou, Guerreiro - Weigl, Dahoud - Rode, Götze, Bruun Larsen - PhilippAbsentees: Akanji (thigh), Bürki (groin), Kagawa (ankle), Pulisic (calf), Reus, Schmelzer (both knee) Wolf (thigh), Alcacer, Delaney, Hakimi, Sancho, Witsel (international duty)Coach: Lucien Favre