Will DFB Pokal Double Spark Ciro Immobile into Life at Borussia Dortmund?

On Tuesday night, an opening goal for Borussia Dortmund against Dynamo Dresden in the DFB Pokal came from the rare source of Ciro Immobile. The recently acquired Italian striker may have blown hot and cold this season, but that night he was on form and looked like a player ready to play for Jurgen Klopp's side. 

It was a telling sign of the torment and frustration Immobile has undergone since arriving in Germany that both goals he scored that night instantly led to the striker running toward the Dortmund end with sheer relief in his face. 

A striker is only as good as his last goal, especially at a charged club such as Dortmund, and Immobile had, until now, offered very little to suggest he had any use to this side. Yet with two goals against Dresden, he's back on the scoresheet, spread across the headlines and maybe on the verge of making a permanent step up to Klopp's side. 

The odd, overlying tone of this entire saga is, of course, the fact Immobile is actually a very good striker. Regardless of his average goal return in the Bundesliga—three goals in 15 appearances—the irregular performer has always looked lively and dangerous on the ball. There is also the matter of Immobile's Champions League form, which has seen him score no less than four goals in six games and start against Juventus in the club's last-16 clash. 

Immobile may not be firing on all cylinders right now, but he seems to have Klopp's favour in Europe and has repaid such trust in kind in the DFB Pokal, too. 

One of the key factors to Immobile's decline in Dortmund has been the unexpected rise of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international suffered quite like Immobile in his first Bundesliga season but has since clicked into place and forged a formidable partnership with key player Marco Reus. 

The pacy forward isn't particularly better or even technically more gifted than Immobile, but he has managed to figure out how Dortmund works and has since thrived in the lone-striker role whenever Klopp has asked him to play it. 

Saturday's clash with Schalke was a perfect example of this, when the forward scored the opening goal of the game and managed to pull on a Batman mask in celebration. Alongside him was his partner in crime, Reus, donning the familiar mask of Robin. It's these relationships that allow Dortmund to function and where Immobile simply doesn't compare. 

Where the young Italian may find hope for the remainder of the season is through the very clear fact that Klopp still favours him over the rest of his floundering attacking stars. 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has since returned to full fitness and perhaps even to passable form, yet the manner in which Adrian Ramos has continued to flounder on and off the bench suggests, for the time being, Immobile is at the very least Klopp's first port of call.

While Dortmund continue their push for glory on three separate fronts, it means games such as the 2-0 win over Dresden on Tuesday night will continue to pop up and offer a look at what Immobile can do. 

The young, troubled striker may not be back in the limelight just yet, but more games such as this week's cup tie suggest there may yet be a future for Immobile at Dortmund.