VfL Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund will go head-to-head at Vonovia-Ruhrstadion in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund had contrasting starts to the new season. Borussia Dortmund picked up three points, albeit in an unspectacular manner, while Bochum will be looking to respond following humiliation on opening day. The Ruhr derby promises an exciting clash between these Bundesliga sides.

Dortmund, for one, were far from their best. But Donyell Malen’s late goal helped them kick-start their 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over 1. FC Koln. Despite the result, it was a very disappointing performance from Edin Terzic’s side, as they struggled to create any real openings and were outplayed by the Billy Goats for much of the game.

The Black and Yellows will certainly take the three points. Next up for Borussia Dortmund is a Ruhr Derby clash against VfL Bochum, who were hammered 5-0 by Stuttgart last weekend.

Bochum would have been eager to get things going in 2023/24 after finishing just two points clear of the relegation zone in the previous season. But their season opener turned out to be a nightmare. Thomas Letsch’s side were given a rude awakening as they suffered an embarrassing 5-0 thrashing at Stuttgart. They will be desperate to avoid another mauling and perhaps spring up with a shock result here.

The hosts can take encouragement from the fact that they have earned deserved draws in this fixture in both seasons since their promotion to the Bundesliga. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News and Tactics

VfL Bochum

VfL Bochum have endured a nightmare start to the season as they also sustained a penalty shootout defeat against Arminia Bielefeld in the first round of the DFB-Pokal earlier this month, drawing 2-2 with the third-tier outfit before losing 4-1 on spot kicks.

To be fair, Thomas Letsch’s side has to cope with several players being out with a range of injury issues, including Moritz-Broni Kwarteng and Tim Oermann, who are suffering from groin issues. And Philipp Forster, who missed the last match due to a finger injury. Lys Mousset is sidelined with an injury.

Goalkeeper Manuel Riemann recovered from a muscle injury to start against Stuttgart. So he could continue in between the sticks for the hosts. Head coach Letsch is anticipated to make a raft of changes following last weekend’s humiliation, although Philipp Hofmann should continue to spearhead the line alongside Christopher Antwi-Adjei in a 3-5-2 formation.

Summer signing Keven Schlotterbeck, brother of Nico Schlotterbeck, is expected to slot straight into the back three, while right wing-back Felix Passlack could face his former club on Saturday, having joined VfL Bochum on a free transfer this summer.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Riemann; Masovic, Ordets, K. Schlotterbeck; Passlack, Bero, Losilla, Stoger, Wittek; Hofmann, Antwi-Adjei

Borussia Dortmund

Edin Terzic will have to make do without the services of Giovanni Reyna (foot), Julien Duranville (thigh), Mateu Morey (fitness), and Thomas Meunier (thigh) once again. But Reyna featured in team training on Thursday, which is a big boost for his hopes of returning to the squad sooner rather than later.

Right-back Julian Ryerson is a minor doubt after picking up an injury last weekend. Thorgan Hazard and Marius Wolf are the potential candidates to replace him if the Norwegian is deemed unfit.

The 4-2-3-1 system that Terzic deploys is heavily reliant on the full-backs to provide much of the creativity on the flanks. For this reason, Ryerson and Ramy Bensebaini are important pieces, tasked with running up and down the right wing with great speed and tenacity.

Mats Hummels was arguably the Man of the Match for the Blacks and Yellows last time out. After a shaky start, the experienced defender grew into the game. And a series of last-ditch challenges helped save BVB from an opening-day embarrassment while being impressive in the air and playing some delightful forward passes.

The German defender is likely to keep his spot along with Niklas Sule ahead of Nico Schlotterbeck, who is not yet 100% fit to start. Emre Can put in a forgettable performance in the engine room and will be hoping for a better match here alongside Marcel Sabitzer in the midfield double-pivot.

Felix Nmecha made his Borussia Dortmund debut off the bench and assisted the winning goal with his flick-on header, but that may not be enough to earn a start in this game. Meanwhile, Karim Adeyemi, who has recently emerged as a target for Liverpool, helped open up the Koln defence with his blistering pace off the bench and could replace Marco Reus in the starting lineup.

Donyell Malen’s place on the right flank after scoring the winner in the 88th minute, with Julian Brandt manning the opposite side. Sebastien Haller had literally zero service last time out but will likely get his fair share of chances to get off the mark in this game.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Hummels, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Can; Malen, Adeyemi, Brandt; Haller

Key Stats

• Borussia Dortmund are undefeated in their three meetings against the hosts last season, recording home wins in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, while the away game in the league finished in a stalemate.
• Bochum have just one victory in their last 11 meetings against the visitors, with that win coming on the road in the 2021/22 Bundesliga season.
• The last two Bundesliga meetings between the two teams at Saturday’s venue have ended in 1-1 stalemates.
• VfL Bochum were one of the worst teams in the German top-flight last term and were 18th in the Bundesliga in goal differential at -32.

Player to Watch

Donyell Malen

Borussia Dortmund lacked offensive fluidity throughout the game against Koln, carving out few chances in either half as they shook off the summer cobwebs. Donyell Malen looked most likely to make things happen for Borussia Dortmund in the first half with his directness and dribbling.

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With the match heading towards a goalless draw, Malen took the game by the scruff of the neck and curled the winning goal in from a corner in front of the yellow wall, although there was more than a stroke of good fortune involved.

Having scored nine goals in 28 games last season and a free-scoring pre-season, the Dutchman has become an important player for Borussia Dortmund since the second half of the season and will once again be looking to make a telling impact.

Prediction

VfL Bochum 1-3 Borussia Dortmund

Despite the win last time out, Dortmund’s performance certainly left a lot to be desired and showed plenty of warning signs against 1. FC Koln that Edin Terzic and co. must be addressed sooner rather than later. And it also showed that BVB still have plenty of improving to do if they want to compete for the Bundesliga title this season. They will be looking for a comfortable win against their local rivals.

Having shipped five goals in a woeful display last time out, Bochum will be aiming to recover from humiliation last weekend. Still, Edin Terzic’s side are better on paper, and they should be able to comfortably come out on top at Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Saturday.