Borussia Dortmund will welcome in-form Wolfsburg to the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon, looking to put their midweek Champions League setback behind them.
A critical game awaits Borussia Dortmund and under-fire boss Eden Terzic in the Bundesliga this weekend as they look to get back on track when they face Wolfsburg in front of a Signal Iduna Park desperate for a convincing performance.
After blowing a golden chance to win the Bundesliga on the final day last season, Borussia Dortmund still have not recovered from the hangover of what could have been. A 4-2 win over ten-man Freiburg only papered over the cracks last weekend. But Dortmund’s defensive frailties were exposed again on Tuesday night as they were undone 2-0 by a dominant performance from Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
The Black and Yellows are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season and have taken eight points from their first four Bundesliga games, which may seem acceptable on paper. Yet their performances have led to a fair amount of criticism, especially given their very favourable opening schedule.
Their midfield in particular looks disjointed and they have been a disappointment so far with so much expected from Eden Terzic’s side after last season’s efforts. Wolfsburg won’t be an easy opponents either. After narrowly missing out on securing European football last season, Niko Kovac’s side have made a flying start to the season and head into Saturday’s game on the back of three wins from four in the German top flight.
They stunned Union Berlin 2-1 on home soil last weekend thanks to goals from Jonas Wind and Joakim Maehle. The result propelled them to sixth place in the league standings, one point and one place above the hosts.
Last season, both teams recorded home wins in the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund recording a 6-0 win in May, while Wolfsburg beat Dortmund 2-0 at home in November last year. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News and Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Tap for a surprise 👇 pic.twitter.com/OfrA0Z6n2a
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 21, 2023
Borussia Dortmund will have to make do without the services of key midfielder Marcel Sabitzer this Saturday after he picked up an adductor injury against PSG. The Polish midfielder joins Thomas Meunier (hamstring) and Mateu Morey (knee) on the treatment table.
Against PSG, head coach Edin Terzic sought to limit the attacking threat of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani by lining up with three central defenders and five players across midfield.
But it did not work as planned, and Terzic will likely revert to his preferred 4-3-3 setup, with Niclas Fullkrug set to make his first start in black and yellow upfront ahead of out-of-form Sebastien Haller. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Marco Reus made an encouraging impact off the bench on Tuesday and could be in contention to feature more prominently against Wolfsburg.
Gregor Kobel will line up between the sticks for Borussia Dortmund. Mats Hummels impressed on both ends of the pitch against Freiburg and was one of Dortmund’s best outfield players against PSG, making a number of crucial recoveries for his side.
The veteran centre-back is set to start again on Saturday. One of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule will partner with Hummels against PSG, and it will be interesting to see who gets the nod. Marius Wolf could drop out of the starting XI here, with Ramy Bensebaini coming in at left-back, while Julian Ryerson should continue on the opposite flank after being rested last time out.
In midfield, Dortmund still haven’t yet been able to make up for the absence of Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in the offseason and has made a brilliant start in the Spanish capital. Sabitzer joined Dortmund from Bayern after falling out of favour at Bayern, and Felix Nmecha joined from Wolfsburg. But neither of them can replace Bellingham on their own.
Nmecha came on in the first half against PSG to replace the injured Sabitzer but failed to make the most of his opportunity and was caught chasing shadows in the build-up to PSG’s second goal. It was a game to forget for the youngster, who will need to deliver a much-improved performance on Saturday to stake a claim in the starting XI regularly.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Can, Brandt; Malen, Fullkrug, Bynoe-Gittens
VfL Wolfsburg
Lukas Nmecha has undergone surgery on his knee after getting injured against Makkabi Berlin in the cup last month, with Kilian Fischer joining him on the sidelines and will soon undergo a knee surgery of his own.
After an underwhelming campaign last season, Wolfsburg’s wealthy owners have spent well, adding plenty of promising players all over the pitch in a bid to get back into Europe after failures in back-to-back seasons. And it has paid off with a strong start under Niko Kovac, who will start with the tried and tested 3-4-2-1 formation against Borussia Dortmund.
💬 Kovac über alle acht Sommer-Neuzugänge: Wir haben im Sommer ein paar Spieler leider verloren, dementsprechend mussten wir für Ersatz sorgen und ich bin der Meinung, dass wir uns sogar verstärkt haben. Wir haben die Konkurrenz und Qualität im Kader erhöht .#VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/syaWgtuYKX
— VfL Wolfsburg (@VfL_Wolfsburg) September 21, 2023
Jonas Wind’s early form has been vital, as the Danish striker netted back-to-back braces in their two opening wins. The 24-year-old also provided the assist for the opening goal at Hoffenheim before the international break and followed that up with another strike against Union Berlin last time out.
The Danish striker is expected to spearhead the attack once again, with Patrick Wimmer, Lovro Majer and Yannick Gerhardt making up the rest of the offensive support. Right-back Joakim Maehle is another player who could pose some serious problems to Borussia Dortmund’s shaky defence. The right-back likes to venture forward and scored the winner for Wolfsburg against Union Berlin last weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Maehle, Lacroix, Jenz, Rogerio; Svanberg, Arnold; Wimmer, Majer, Gerhardt; Wind
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won nine of their last ten matches against Wolfsburg in all competitions.
- Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 17 home Bundesliga games.
- Wolfsburg have scored two or more goals in four of their five matches in all competitions.
- Dortmund have scored in their last 24 Bundesliga games and have not been involved in a goalless Bundesliga draw in 131 games, dating back to October 2019 against Schalke.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 13 of Borussia Dortmund’s last 16 Bundesliga games.
Player to Watch
Jonas Wind
Jonas Wind continued his fine run of form by scoring the opener against Union Berlin last time out. The Danish striker has already scored five goals this season, which puts him in the second position on the league’s scorer list.
With excellent technique, intelligence in tight spaces, strong heading and the ability to create chances for his teammates, the former Copenhagen striker is a deadly marksman and could cause problems for the BVB defenders on Saturday.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg
The Black and Yellows are desperately in need of a win here to prevent their season from going off the rails. Dortmund may have crushed Wolfsburg 6-0 and 6-1 in their past two home encounters. But a closer match on Saturday could be on the cards this Saturday given both these teams have the edge in the final third, and should find the net here.
Edin Terzic would love a morale-booster win, but The Hard Tackle predict Wolfsburg to earn a share of the spoils and put BVB coach Edin Terzic under increased pressure.
