Borussia Dortmund are set to travel to Freiburg for their second Bundesliga encounter of the 2022/23 season.
Borussia Dortmund kick-started their 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign with a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, which was quite an important result, considering the two sides are set to fight it out for the second spot, provided Bayern Munich continue with their dominance.
Captain Marco Reus scored the only goal of the match in the tenth minute, with Leverkusen going down to ten men at the fag end of the match. Dortmund were the better team in the encounter at the Westfalenstadion, and despite enjoying the majority of the possession, Leverkusen could not convert it into actual opportunities.
Freiburg, on the other hand, registered a thumping 4-0 away win over FC Augsburg. All four of their goals were scored in the second half, and one was also overruled by VAR. Michael Gregoritsch opened the scoring a minute after the restart before Vincenzo Grifo doubled their advantage two minutes later.
Matthias Ginter then got on the scoresheet with a 61st-minute strike before Japanese international Ritsu Doan added a fourth in the 78th minute to cap things off. Christian Streich will hope that his side continue in a similar vein against Borussia Dortmund, but it won’t be easy.
On the road again! ? pic.twitter.com/69NsT1cYR2
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 11, 2022
Team News & Tactics
SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg are expected to play the same team that dispatched Augsburg with ease last weekend. There is no need to alter a winning combination too, especially as there are no new injury concerns for Christian Streich.
Lucas Holer, Kevin Schade and Kimberly Ezekwem, who missed the season opener as well, will continue to be unavailable through respective injuries. Lukas Kubler is also a doubt as he is nursing a thigh strain.
Streich will probably field a 4-2-3-1 formation, as was the case in the first match of the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign, with Michael Gregoritsch leading the line for Freiburg against Borussia Dortmund. Matthias Ginter will be another player to watch as he goes up against his former club on Friday night.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Sallai, Doan, Grifo; Gregoritsch
Borussia Dortmund
Edin Terzic will miss the services of new signing Karim Adeyemi, who picked up a foot injury during the 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen last weekend. Thorgan Hazard, who was quite impressive against Leverkusen, could take the place of the German international in the starting XI.
Anthony Modeste, who was recently signed on a one-year deal from FC Koln, is expected to be drafted straight into the squad. The 34-year-old will take the place of 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko, who led the line in the league opener and DFB Pokal win over 1860 Munich.
Captain Marco at work ? pic.twitter.com/FR5zvj4dkA
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 10, 2022
Another new signing, Niklas Sule, continues to be absent, with Mats Hummels expected to retain his place in the XI, starting alongside Nico Schlotterbeck at the heart of the Borussia Dortmund defence. The rest of the starting XI could be the same as Dortmund try to make it two wins in two to make a solid start to the season.
Marco Reus will be the key man again, with the Borussia Dortmund captain looking to pull the strings in the final third. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham will be the key man in the middle of the park for the visitors as they look to scrape past SC Freiburg.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Kobel; Meunier, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Dahoud, Bellingham; Hazard, Reus, Malan; Modeste
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund won the last encounter between the two sides, and handsomely at that, with a 5-1 scoreline.
- The hosts emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline the last time Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg faced off at the Europa-Park-Stadion.
- The last two seasons have seen Dortmund and Freiburg win one match each in the Bundesliga.
- Dortmund have scored in each of their last nine matches against Freiburg.
- The last time Freiburg managed to keep Dortmund from scoring was back in 2017 when they played out a 0-0 draw with the Bundesliga giants even with ten men.
Player to Watch
Anthony Modeste
? Edin Terzic:
"Tony looks hungry, he might be as fit as ever and a good option for Friday. We're hoping he continues doing the things he's shown in the league over the last few years." pic.twitter.com/RUEAZzIZXn
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 10, 2022
34-year-old Anthony Modeste has signed a one-year contract with Borussia Dortmund, joining them for a reported €5 million transfer fee. The veteran striker scored 20 goals last season in the Bundesliga and has been signed to make up for Sebastien Haller’s lengthy absence.
His best season in the Bundesliga came in the 2016/17 season when he scored 25 goals in 34 matches in the league. The Black and Yellow will want Modeste to recapture that form to see them through the ongoing season.
Prediction
SC Freiburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have a shaky defence, and it will not come as a surprise if they end up conceding in the match against SC Freiburg. However, they still have a strong attack, so expect the visitors to come out on top eventually. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Edin Terzic’s side to make it two in two for them at the start of the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign.
