Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy is improving following a brief illness last week and is ready for the big Bundesliga game against leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday, coach Nuri Sahin said.
Guirassy, who has netted six times in the league, was out for a few days with a virus but came on as a substitute to score in their 3-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday.
"We expect that he will be a step further," Sahin told a press conference on Friday when asked whether the Guinea international was ready to start against Bayern. "Obviously he is a very important player for us. A player like him can change a game's entire structure."
"He handled his substitute appearance in Zagreb well after his illness."
Hampered by injuries, Dortmund have dropped to fifth in the Bundesliga on 19 points, 10 behind Bayern, after failing to win any of their away matches in the league this season.
But they have a perfect home record with six wins from six league games and will have defender Niklas Suele and midfielder Kjell Waetjen back from injury.
Dortmund, who said they could have sold 400 000 tickets for the game, will play in front of a sold-out 81 365 crowd in their Signal Iduna Park.
"It is the biggest game in Germany, the one that gets the most exposure and I think it will be the biggest for quite some time," said Sahin. "It is special to be in this role for such a game."
"Bayern defend high and that creates spaces at the back but they keep the opponents away," he said. "There will be spaces for us to play in but they have not conceded a goal in some games now."
"We have the expectation to win at home tomorrow. No reason not to have that expectation with six wins from six home games. But the fact is Bayern are ahead on points and it is a chance for us to close the gap tomorrow."