Borussia Dortmund will be keen to continue their fine start to the year when they welcome Freiburg to Westfalenstadion on Saturday.
German giants Borussia Dortmund have turned their fortunes around following the Bundesliga winter break and will now welcome SC Freiburg to the Westfalenstadion this weekend.
Eden Terzic’s men have now clawed their way back into top-four contention and have momentum going for them at this moment in time. Freiburg are experiencing their best run of form in the three points for a win era and are level on points with their opponents on the night. Whoever wins on the night could gain the upper hand in the race for the fourth spot.
Curiously, while Dortmund’s form has picked up, the same cannot be said of Bayern Munich, who are struggling to convert draws into wins. This leaves the Bavarians a mere three points ahead of Dortmund, who are within touching distance of the top spot. With momentum in their favour, Terzic and co. could mount a punt for the title this season.
Freiburg’s best position in the Bundesliga since 1995 has been a fifth-placed finish in the 2011/12 campaign. They currently appear to be in a solid position to repeat the trick if not do better. Christian Streich’s side were brought crashing down to earth in their last away game, suffering at the wrong end of a 6-0 thrashing against Wolfsburg.
A repeat of the performance will see them receive a similar hiding against Dortmund. It promises to be a good game against two sides who have much to play for this season. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Back at home tomorrow 🙌 pic.twitter.com/TxxpN2Is5f
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 3, 2023
The home side will be without Salih Ozcan who is suspended for the game. Edin Terzic will also be without Thomas Meunier, Mateu Morey and Abdoulaye Kamara, all of whom are currently sidelined.
Dortmund has an otherwise fully fit squad at their disposal and will also welcome back Marco Reus to the matchday squad. The German is coming off an injury and is lacking match fitness, but his return will provide the German side with more impetus in the attack.
Terzic is likely to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation that can also shift into a 4-4-1-1 if needed. Gregor Kobel should start in goal behind the back four of Julian Ryerson, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule and Raphael Guerreiro.
Jude Bellingham is likely to take up a deeper position in midfield on the night besides Emre Can. The doubler pivot will be full of energy and provide a strong base for Dortmund to focus on offensive operations.
Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt should provide the width, with Marco Reus playing in the number 10 role. Sebastien Haller made his much-awaited debut for the club earlier this month and will be keen to build upon it on the night.
Giovanni Reyna has been Dortmund’s go-to man off the bench in recent times, winning them the games against Augsburg and Mainz. The USMNT star is likely to start on the bench and come on in the second half should the home side need a difference-maker.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Can, Bellingham; Brandt, Reus, Adeyemi; Haller
SC Freiburg
The visitors have a full-strength squad to choose from and should have no excuses if they fail to turn up on the night. Roland Sallai is expected to shake off his muscle injury in time for the trip.
The horrors of the 6-0 loss to Wolfsburg could be on the back of the players’ minds ahead of the trip to the Westfalenstadion. The Dortmund home is not for the faint of heart, and any vulnerability is likely to be brutally exploited.
Christian Streich is likely to go with his 3-4-3 system which is designed to load the midfield with bodies. This show of strength in numbers could overwhelm Edin Terzic’s men should they fail to adapt.
Ab nach Dortmund! 🔜 #BVBSCF pic.twitter.com/XJzrdEHMv9
— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) February 3, 2023
Mark Flekken should start in goal behind the back three of Lukas Kubler, Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart. Kiliann Sildillia and Christian Gunter should provide the width and act as the wing-backs. The duo could be in for a busy night and will do well not to allow space behind them for Dortmund’s players to run into.
Ritsu Doan should start on the right flank, with Vincenzo Grifo on the other flank and Michael Gregoritsch leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart; Sildillia, Eggestein, Hofler, Gunter; Doan, Gregoritsch, Grifo
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have lost to SC Freiburg just once in their last 22 home games in the Bundesliga. Since the 2-0 loss at home against Freiburg, Borussia Dortmund have dropped points in just one of their 14 home games against the Breisgau-Brasilianer in the Bundesliga. It happens to be the home side’s longest unbeaten run against another side in the German top flight at the moment.
- A win on the night will see Borussia Dortmund do the league double over Freiburg for the second time since 2018. Borussia Dortmund average more points per game against Freiburg than any other side currently in the Bundesliga.
- A win on the night will see Borussia Dortmund win their first four games in a calendar year for the first time since 2012.
- Freiburg’s return of 34 points from 18 games is the club’s best return in the Bundesliga at this stage in the three-points-for-a-win era.
- Borussia Dortmund are currently on a six-game unbeaten run at home in the Bundesliga, their longest such run under Edin Terzic.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
The English international is one of Dortmund’s key players and could be in his final few months at the club. With Marco Reus back, Bellingham is likely to be deployed in a deeper midfield role. He has one goal and two assists in his last three Bundesliga appearances and is capable of impacting games decisively.
Freiburg are likely to overload the midfield, and the onus will be on the Dortmund stars to adapt to the situation. Capable of making a defence-splitting pass or running forward with the ball, Bellingham’s ability to control the tempo should set the rhythm for the night.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Freiburg
Both teams have enough reasons to be optimistic going into the game and could also hand each other a direct blow in the race for the fourth spot with a win. Dortmund have a stellar record in the match-up, and combined with the players on their rolls could swing the tie in their favour. With home support to boot, Edin Terzic and co. go into the game as favourites.
