Galatasaray-bound Dortmund enduring 'tough times'

BERLIN - Borussia Dortmund play Galatasaray away in Wednesday's Champions League clash with their director of sport Michael Zorc admitting they are enduring the "toughest" of times after three straight Bundesliga defeats.

Borussia are top of Group D with two wins in Europe after convincingly beating Arsenal 2-0 at home, then Anderlecht 3-0 away, but are 14th in the Bundesliga having taken just a single point from their last five German league matches.

With eight matches played this season, Dortmund are already 13 points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich having finished as runners-up to the Bavarian giants for the last two seasons.

"This is our most difficult situation for the last few years," said Zorc.

"Basically, things haven't improved in the last few weeks.

"I have the feeling something is missing, there is a lack of consistency in attack and defence and we're giving goals away again.

"We are not determined enough going forward."

Borussia coach Jurgen Klopp was a dejected figure on the sidelines on Saturday as his side slumped to a 2-1 defeat in Cologne, their first loss in the city for more than a decade.

Klopp welcomed back midfielders Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan, who had been out for more than a year with a back injury, but his side still faltered with the coach admitting they "had played football which makes no sense".

The only good news for Klopp is that Germany defender Erik Durm should be fit to play in Istanbul despite dropping out during the warm-up in Cologne with a thigh problem.

Galatasaray lost 4-1 at Arsenal three weeks ago and need a result at home to Dortmund to keep their knock-out stage hopes alive in the Champions League.

Cesare Prandelli's Galatasarary beat ten-man Fenerbahce 2-1 on Saturday in the Istanbul derby, with Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder striking twice late on.