Borussia Dortmund will get their 2023/24 campaign underway with a trip to Regionalliga outfit TSV Schott Mainz in the first round of the DFB-Pokal this Saturday.
The wait is finally over, as Borussia Dortmund will start their 2023/24 season against TSV Schott Mainz in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal at the MEWA Arena on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund lost the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich in dramatic fashion on the final day of last season. The players will now hope to turn that heartbreak into motivation to go one better this season.
There is plenty of optimism in the camp, having enjoyed a successful, unbeaten pre-season tour to the United States. The Black and Yellows managed to beat San Diego Loyal 6-0 and Manchester United 3-2 and draw 1-1 against Chelsea.
BVB then wrapped up their pre-season preparations with a 3-1 victory over Ajax at Signal Iduna Park in a game where new signing Felix Nmecha announced himself at the Westfalenstadion in style, as he scored a match-winning brace for his side. Head coach Edin Terzic will be hoping for a convincing win on Saturday to build momentum ahead of the Bundesliga opener next weekend as they aim to mount yet another title charge.
TSV Schott Mainz, meanwhile, were promoted to the Regionalliga — the fourth-tier of the German football pyramid — last season and come into this game as massive underdogs. They qualified for the competition in back-to-back seasons by lifting the South West Cup, beating Wormatia Worms 7-6 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Schott Mainz kick-started their league season with a pulsating 4-3 loss at the hands of FSV Frankfurt on Tuesday, blowing away a two-goal lead twice in the same match. They will look to spring a major shock on Saturday. It remains to be seen how much of a test they pose to the visitors.
Team News & Tactics
TSV Schott Mainz
Having already lost their opening game of the season, Aydin Ay’s side are hoping to avoid starting their campaign with back-to-back defeats. The Turkish boss has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the hosting big boys from top-flight Dortmund and could retain most of his starting XI from the defeat against FSV Frankfurt. He could also stick to his referred 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation.
While most players in the hosts’ squad are relatively unknown quantities, defensive midfielder Tim Müller is a key component of the side and has a good range of passing to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park.
Attacking midfielders Johannes Gansmann and Etienne Portmann both pose serious attacking threats, having scored a whopping 41 goals between them across all competitions last term, albeit the latter is likely to be available on the bench for this one.
34-year-old striker Pierre Merkel, who banged in 17 goals last season, has left the club to join fifth-tier side Waldalgesheim, so young 22-year-old striker Lennart Thum would be tasked with spearheading the attack against Dortmund.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hansen; Just, Ahlbach, Gans, Schlosser; Müller, Schwarz, Gansmann, Embaye, Wimmer; Thum
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic is dealing with somewhat of an injury crisis throughout his squad. They will be without the services of Giovanni Reyna, Julien Duranville, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Thomas Meunier due to injury on Saturday.
Karim Adeyemi is also expected to miss the trip to Mainz after he picked up a muscle injury ahead of the pre-season friendly against Ajax. On the flip side, Terzic revealed during his pre-match presser that Nico Schlotterbeck and Gregor Kobel are back available after recovering from their respective injuries.
BVB have made three signings to bolster their squad so far this summer, bringing in Ramy Bensebaini, Felix Nmecha, and Marcel Sabitzer, all of whom will be looking to make their competitive debuts in Borussia Dortmund colours on Saturday.
ONE MORE DAY…
😁🖤💛#BVB pic.twitter.com/wHmwHE6LyU
— Borussia Dortmund English (@BVB09_English) August 11, 2023
Terzic could retain the 4-3-2-1 formation that he used against Ajax last time out, with Gregor Kobel a mainstay in between the sticks amid contract extension talks ongoing between the club and the Swiss shot-stopper.
Bensebaini has shown his qualities in the pre-season games and could secure a place in the back four alongside Julian Ryerson, Mats Hummels, and Niklas Sule. Newly installed captain Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer will be key presences in the engine room, with Julian Brandt featuring in a more attacking role.
In Adeyemi’s absence, Marco Reus could be in the starting XI after impressing during pre-season, with Sebastien Haller leading the line. Nmecha could also be in contention to feature after scoring a brace last time out against Ajax. Youssoufa Moukoko, Thorgan Hazard, and Samuel Bamba are the other available attacking options in the BVB squad.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Süle, Bensebaini; Can, Sabitzer; Malen, Reus, Brandt; Haller
Key Stats
- This is the first competitive meeting between Schott Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
- The visitors have not lost in the first round of the DFB-Pokal Cup since the 2005/06 season, a run stretching to 18 years now.
- Dortmund come into this game unbeaten in seven friendly games this summer, winning six and drawing once.
- Schott Mainz are making only their second-ever DFB-Pokal, having lost 3-2 to Hannover last year in the first round of their debut participation.
Player to Watch
Sebastien Haller
It is fair to say that Sebastien Haller had a rocky debut season with Borussia Dortmund following his transfer from Ajax last summer. The Ivory Coast striker’s last 12 months have included battling cancer, returning mid-season and spearheading his team’s title push, and ending it with the agony of losing to Bayern Munich on the season’s final day.
Indeed, Dortmund’s title charge in the second half of last season did not just happen to coincide with Haller’s return. He’s an efficient target piece who possesses good movement, aerial threat, and link-up play abilities, which worked to BVB’s benefit, having so many nifty players who like to create from in and around the box but rely heavily on a target-man distracting defenders.
With nine goals from just under 20 Bundesliga appearances, his finishing in front of goal was not bad either, although he tends to waste prime goal-scoring opportunities on occasion. Anyway, a big season is expected from him, as Dortmund desperately need a 20+ goal striker to produce another title charge.
Prediction
TSV Schott Mainz 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund do not seem to have a problem when it comes to finding the back of the net. But for years, the leaky defence has been an issue under different coaches. The case was not any different last season, as BVB lost the league title on goal difference, and in the pre-season, there will be opportunities for Schott Mainz to at least get on the scoresheet.
However, Borussia Dortmund’s superior attacking quality will ultimately prevail, and they will score more than Schott Mainz. The Hard Tackle predicts a comprehensive 4-1 victory for Eden Terzic’s troops to kick things off in a positive fashion in the new season.