3 Things Borussia Dortmund Should Test in Friendly vs. Sparta Prague

Having returned from their training camp in Dubai at the weekend, Borussia Dortmund will now shift focus towards the restart of the Bundesliga this week.

If the first matchup against fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach isn't a big enough test for the Black and Yellows, the busy schedule in the following weeks will provide just that.

Dortmund could play up to 15 games in eight weeks until the March international break if they advance in the UEFA Europa League against FC Porto.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel can be fairly confident his side will be able to pick up where they left off—generally speaking and considering their loss on the final matchday of 2015 at Cologne an outlier—after they beat Eintracht Frankfurt and South Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with a combined scoreline of 8-1 in Dubai.

With that in mind, the 42-year-old could use the final practice match against Sparta Prague on Tuesday not only with Gladbach in mind, but also with regard to the rest of the season.

Here are three things Dortmund should test against Sparta.

Play Adrian Ramos Ahead of the First-Choice Midfield

This might be a moot point soon, with German magazine Kicker reporting in their Monday issue that the Colombian striker could be on his way out in the current transfer window, despite rejecting a massive offer from Chinese club Beijing Guoan, but as it stands, Adrian Ramos is the only back-up for star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

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As such, he's one injury or suspension away from leading the line for one of the most prolific attacks in European football this season, as football writer Archie Rhind-Tutt alluded to on the weekend.

The 29-year-old had a good start to 2016, scoring a brace against Frankfurt, and it would be a good idea to give him an opportunity to continue that against the Czechs. More importantly, however, he should get that opportunity ahead of and alongside the first-choice midfield.

Tuchel should use Tuesday's game to prepare for an emergency, and there are few emergencies imaginable that would have a similar impact to losing Aubameyang for any amount of time. Ramos needs to be ready.

Play Erik Durm at Left-Back

World Cup winner Erik Durm only returned to action this month after missing the entire season so far following knee surgery in September that initially was set to keep him off the pitch for six weeks, according to PA Sport (h/t ESPN FC).

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He made his comeback for Dortmund against Jeonbuk and didn't show any rust, instead looking surprisingly spry considering the time he had missed. In that game, the only player to spend the full 90 minutes on the field was South Korea international Park Joo-ho, but that wasn't necessarily because he played against compatriots.

Quite simply, Marcel Schmelzer missed the game and has yet to take part in team training in 2016 because of muscle problems, while Park is the only natural back-up at left-back. However, the 29-year-old has disappointed at Dortmund so far, after making the move late in 2015's summer transfer window. We graded him as the worst of BVB's new arrivals in December.

Durm is a more natural right-back because of his weaker left foot, but he could certainly pip Park for the role behind Schmelzer, having played on the left extensively under Jurgen Klopp in previous seasons.

It might be too much to ask Durm to start against Gladbach, but, with a strenuous second half of the season in mind, it couldn't hurt to try him on the left against Sparta.

Play Christian Pulisic for 90 Minutes

As we alluded to when we ranked him as the top prospect in Dortmund's academy, Christian Pulisic is one of the winners of the winter break so far.

With the club yet to invest in new signings following the departures of Jonas Hofmann and Adnan Januzaj earlier in January, the 17-year-old could come into the focus sooner than anyone would have expected when news came out he and Felix Passlack would be promoted to the senior squad, per Jonathan Harding of Deutsche Welle.

Pulisic's play in the two aforementioned friendlies didn't reveal anything to suggest the United States youth international can't play a substantial role fairly soon, but Tuchel should really put him to the test on Tuesday.

The biggest question left to answer is whether the teenager can handle professional football physically, and the best way to find out would be to play him for the full 90 minutes against Sparta.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.