Dortmund was without star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to an adductor injury, though goals from Christian Pulisic, Andre Schurrle and Marcel Schmelzer saw it come out on top of the rearranged and relocated quarter-final clash.

Third-tier Lotte was forced to host the match in Osnabruck after heavy snowfall damaged the pitch at their Frimo Stadion, yet it looked at home in the neutral venue and mounted an impressive start before getting to half-time level.

But Dortmund allayed fears it would follow Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen and be the third Bundesliga scalp for Lotte when Ousmane Dembele - the replacement for the injured Aubameyang - raced away and teed up Pulisic for his third goal in four appearances.

A neat move resulted in Schurrle volleying home a second for Thomas Tuchel's side and Schmelzer added some gloss with an excellent free-kick, getting them back to winning ways after a 2-1 defeat away at fellow UEFA Champions League chaser Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

Dortmund is now one match away from a return to the Olympiastadion, but it will have to overcome reigning champion Bayern, which beat Dortmund in last season's final, at the Allianz Arena if it is to lift the trophy for a fourth time.