Expect Smooth Sailing for Borussia Dortmund in DFB-Pokal Overture vs. Trier

Borussia Dortmund face Eintracht Trier in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Monday evening. Much like the DFL-Supercup, the game is barely more than an overture to a long season, seeing as the Black and Yellows shouldn't have any problems with the Regionalliga side from Rhineland-Palatinate.

Trier have won only one point from the first three matchdays in the southwestern conference of Germany's fourth division and don't have a single player in their ranks who has played a single minute of top-flight football.

In fact, Dortmund's under-23 team would be heavily favoured in this contest, with the Zwote, as fans lovingly call the second senior outfit, currently topping the table in the western conference.

The only thing in the hosts' favour is history. Trier famously eliminated the Ruhr side from the cup in the only meeting between the two sides in 1997. Then a third-division team, Eintracht first beat UEFA Cup holders Schalke 04 and then embarrassed UEFA Champions League holders Dortmund, before only missing the final against Bayern Munich due to a penalty-shootout loss to MSV Duisburg.

ROBERTO PFEIL/Associated Press

It seems highly unlikely that the current setup can follow in the footsteps of local legends such as Rudi Thommes, who scored against both giants from the Ruhr area in that historic cup run, even if playing under the floodlights in their only nationally televised game of the season can unleash a special energy in lower league teams.

Dortmund fans won't cower in fear, for long gone are the days of near-constant embarrassment in the DFB-Pokal. In fact, the Black and Yellows have turned into veritable experts in the cup, having reached the final in four of the last five seasons.

They haven't been eliminated in the first round since falling to Eintracht Braunschweig in 2005 and haven't lost to a side from a lower league since 2010, when star strikers Lucas Barrios and Robert Lewandowski missed penalties in a shootout defeat against Kickers Offenbach.

Dortmund have showed too much professionalism—humility, even—in the years since, especially under head coach Thomas Tuchel, for history to repeat itself in Moselstadion on Monday night. Even though the cliche of the favourite having nothing to win and everything to lose holds some truth, anything other than a decisive win would be a huge surprise.

One could argue, of course, that the Black and Yellows do have something to win in the match, namely experience.

Much has been made about the club's busy summer transfer window, with eight players coming in and five leaving to this point. Integrating all those new faces into a team that had proved to be a cohesive unit during Tuchel's impressive first year at the club might be the biggest challenge this season has to offer.

In that regard, a relatively easy cup match will come in handy, as it is another test in competitive conditions.

After a strong showing in the Supercup defeat at the hands of Bayern, in which Dortmund were arguably the better side until going behind shortly before the hour-mark, the cup tie in Trier should serve as another opportunity to experiment with the lineup.

Even though the Black and Yellows won the possession battle against their Bavarian rivals, per WhoScored.com, they'll obviously dominate their opponent on Monday much more. Whereas they created most of their chances in the Supercup through counter-pressing and organised chaos, beating Trier will require a different approach.

Bayern were the perfect opponents for a physical selection, with Felix Passlack's dynamism a good match for Franck Ribery, Sebastian Rode and Gonzalo Castro forming a beefy midfield duo and athletic striker Adrian Ramos playing on the wing.

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

Against Trier, Tuchel surely will opt for more creativity on the pitch, for players apt on the ball with the passing skills to thread the needle to unlock a massive defensive block. In short, it would have been the perfect game for Mario Gotze, who'll miss the trip after picking up a knock to his thigh in the final training session ahead of the game, as Tuchel announced in a press conference (link in German) on Sunday.

The 24-year-old somewhat curiously didn't play a single second against his former club in the Supercup, with Andre Schurrle and Emre Mor preferred as attacking substitutions. Despite his lack of fitness following an injury-riddled season at the Allianz Arena and a prolonged vacation after Euro 2016, Dortmund desperately needed a creative spark.

Gotze instead started in a friendly at 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen on the following day and displayed good form with a number of strong passes through the lines and dribbles. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner is probably a few weeks away from top shape, but he would've been a good fit for the cup tie.

After selling Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City and not buying a like-for-like replacement, the 24-year-old could be called into action in central midfield quite often this campaign. Tuchel has other options in that strategic role, of course.

Against Trier, he may opt for another new signing in Raphael Guerreiro. The Euro 2016 winner with Portugal impressed in France at left-back, a position where Dortmund return a strong starter in Marcel Schmelzer, who looks set to wear the captain's armband to start the season.

The two will likely end up alternating at left-back over the course of the campaign, but, for now, the best plan may well be to fit both into one XI. Guerreiro offers intriguing versatility and could play a number of roles.

In a friendly against Manchester City, the 22-year-old manned the left wing in defence and moved into a central-midfield role on the ball. Against Sandhausen, he played in an advanced position, from where he assisted Schurrle's first goal.

At the Euros, Guerreiro displayed a surprising passing range and impressive technical qualities, especially in short areas. With Trier likely to move nine or 10 men behind the ball at most times, having another player who can operate in tight spaces on the pitch can only help.

In that regard, the game should offer Shinji Kagawa an opportunity to improve on underwhelming performances in pre-season. The Japanese playmaker could see his playing time diminish this season, with Gotze likely to earn a starting spot sooner rather than later. After an up-and-down last campaign, the 27-year-old needs a strong performance to remind of his qualities. 

As this writer detailed in an earlier piece, Tuchel has the agony of choice at many positions, so the lineups for most games could hold a surprise or two.

One position where there's finally clarity is in goal, with the 42-year-old announcing (in German) on Sunday that Roman Weidenfeller will be between the sticks in the cup, while Roman Burki will play in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

That could be subject to change if the unthinkable happens and Dortmund crash out of the DFB-Pokal on Monday, of course, but that would be among the biggest shocks in recent history: Fans need not worry.

Lars Pollmann also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.