Dortmund flying high on life after Goetze

SaturdayHannover 96 vs Mainz 3:30pm Nurnberg vs FC AugsburgHamburg SV vs EintrachtWolfsburg vs HerthaGladbach vs BremenSchalke 04 vs Leverkusen 6:30pm SundayStuttgart vs Hoffenheim 3:30pmFrankfurt vs DortmundBERLIN - Borussia Dortmund appear to have shrugged off the departure of Mario Goetze as last season’s runners-up go into Sunday’s encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt full of confidence and in search of a fourth league win in as many matches.Goetze, a product of Dortmund’s youth system and one of the most gifted youngsters in Germany, joined Bayern Munich for €37 million in the off-season but coach Juergen Klopp is convinced his team, dubbed “the young wild ones”, has lost none of its quality.Dortmund’s perfect start to the new campaign represents a vindication of Klopp’s assessment with several youngsters stepping up to the plate as the Ruhr Valley club seeks to take the fight to Bayern for Bundesliga honours.Teenager Marvin Ducksch and 21-year-old Jonas Hofmann have quickly made a name for themselves with scintillating appearances, supplemented by goals in the German Cup and league respectively.Erik Durm, also 21, saw his contract extended to 2017 this week as Dortmund continues to build a solid foundation for the future.“One can say that there is a chance the team will play even better,” Klopp told reporters earlier this week.“Mario’s transfer has not had a negative impact on us. It would have been nice if it had not happened but from a sporting point of view, his loss is already irrelevant.” AgenciesThe comments regarding one of the most highly regarded players in Europe could be considered bold but Klopp’s reign at Dortmund has never been conventional.He spent 50 million euros on transfers in the close season, boosted by the revenues from Goetze’s departure, and early signs indicate his purchases were astute.Treble winners Bayern Munich top the table on 10 points from four games, one ahead of Dortmund, after drawing 1-1 at Freiburg on Tuesday.