Watch: Borussia Dortmund beat Aston Villa in pre-season friendly | OneFootball

The preparations for the new Bundesliga season are nearly coming to an end, as competitive football is set to return this weekend with the first round of the DFB-Pokal getting underway.

For Borussia Dortmund, they will face 1. FC Phönix Lübeck on Saturday evening as they look to begin their season on a positive note.

Having reached the final of the Champions League last season, there will be an expectation for Dortmund to perform better in the Bundesliga this season, having finished fifth in the previous campaign.

However, there were question marks surrounding whether BvB would be ready for the upcoming season, having endured a difficult tour of Thailand and Japan.

A 4-0 defeat to BG Pathum United FC was followed by a close-fought 3-2 win over Gamba Osaka, as Dortmund failed to convince.

Nevertheless, in a recent friendly against Aston Villa, Die Schwarzgelben comfortably dispatched the Premier League outfit, who will also be competing in the Champions League this season.

With goals from Emre Can and Julian Brandt, could Dortmund be heading in the right direction?

GGFN | Will Shopland