Borussia Dortmund will aim to reach the DFB-Pokal third round when they welcome Hoffenheim to the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.
Cup football resumes this midweek in Germany, with the DFB-Pokal second round commencing on Tuesday. Holders RB Leipzig will be among the first teams in action, taking the field against VfL Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena. The other eye-catching fixture will come at the Signal Iduna Park, with Borussia Dortmund hosting Hoffenheim on Wednesday evening.
Borussia Dortmund might be lagging in the Bundesliga title race. But they are one of the few clubs still unbeaten in league football. The Black and Yellows have won six of their first nine top-flight fixtures (D3) while reaching the second round of the DFB-Pokal. As for the UEFA Champions League, Edin Terzic’s men have won one, drawn one, and lost one game thus far.
As for Hoffenheim, they reached the DFB-Pokal second round by beating VfB Lubeck in August. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men are sixth on the Bundesliga table, only three points behind third-placed VfB Stuttgart. Incidentally, they got the better of Stuttgart this past weekend, eking out a narrow 3-2 victory.
Dortmund and Hoffenheim have already clashed once this season, with the Black and Yellows cruising to a 3-1 win at the Rhein-Neckar Arena. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Some pre-Pokal thoughts from Terzic 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/088T0e4VAZ
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) October 31, 2023
Edin Terzic does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s return to DFB-Pokal action. Against Hoffenheim on Wednesday, the Borussia Dortmund manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
Mateu Morey (knee), Emre Can (muscle injury), Felix Nmecha (muscle injury), and Julien Duranville (thigh) remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Gregor Kobel faces a race against time to declare himself available for the cup clash.
But the Swiss goalkeeper might not have started anyway, with Alexander Meyer poised to feature between the sticks. Borussia Dortmund will line up in a 4-2-2-2 formation in front of the 32-year-old. The defensive unit should feature Thomas Meunier, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Julian Ryerson.
As for the midfield department, Salih Ozcan and Julian Brandt will link up in the middle of the park. While Ozcan will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, Brandt will provide the creative impetus. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi will supplement the two strikers, who should be Sebastien Haller and Youssoufa Moukoko.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Meyer; Meunier, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Ozcan, Brandt; Bynoe-Gittens, Adeyemi; Haller, Moukoko
Hoffenheim
Like his counterpart in the Borussia Dortmund dugout, Pellegrino Matarazzo has a few pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Signal Iduna Park. The Hoffenheim manager might be without six first-team players.
Marco John (knee), Stanley Nsoki (knee), and Dennis Geiger (groin) will play no part against Borussia Dortmund this midweek. Meanwhile, Ozan Kabak (shoulder), Pavel Kaderabek (knee), and Andrej Kramaric (thigh) face a race against time to be available to take on Edin Terzic’s side.
Cup Week!
— TSG Hoffenheim EN (@tsghoffenheimEN) October 31, 2023
Captain Oliver Baumann is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Hoffenheim lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him. Kevin Akpoguma, Kasim Adams, and Attila Szalai will form the central defensive unit. The trio will aim to remain compact and frustrate the Dortmund attackers.
Ihlas Bebou will reprise a potentially awkward makeshift right wing-back role in the absence of Kaderabek. But the 29-year-old will have the freedom to remain in the final third and support the two strikers — Wout Weghorst and Mergim Berisha.
Marius Bulter should be the left wing-back, with Anton Stach, Diadie Samassekou, and Finn Ole Becker forming a defensive-minded midfield trifecta. The trio’s presence in the middle of the park will enable the wing-backs to play with more freedom in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Baumann; Akpoguma, Adams, Szalai; Bebou, Stach, Samassekou, Becker, Bulter; Weghorst, Berisha
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won their last five competitive fixtures against Hoffenheim – the best run in the 34-game history of this fixture.
- Borussia Dortmund have progressed in 12 of their last 13 DFB Cup home fixtures. They have emerged victorious in both previous cup ties with Hoffenheim.
- Hoffenheim have won only one of their last nine DFB Cup ties against fellow Bundesliga clubs (5-1 v Schalke at this stage last season).
- Niclas Fullkrug scored his first Borussia Dortmund goal in September’s 3-1 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim. He has five league goals against TSG.
- Andrej Kramaric is Hoffenheim’s record goalscorer in the DFB Cup with ten goals. He also scored in September’s Bundesliga encounter and once netted four at Signal Iduna Park in TSG’s 4-0 win in 2019/20.
Player to Watch
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Marco Reus and Niclas Fullkrug have been among the most talked about players for Borussia Dortmund this season. But Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is perhaps among the most highly-coveted prospects at the German club.
Several high-profile Premier League clubs are keen on signing the teenage sensation, who has made his mark as an up-and-coming young attacker for Borussia Dortmund. But he will be eager to produce the goods in the DFB-Pokal to earn a regular berth for the Black and Yellows in other competitions. So, Wednesday’s clash will be crucial for him in the grand scheme of things.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim have been two of the most impressive German teams thus far this season. And despite the defeat last month, the visitors are in line to spring a surprise over the Black and Yellows.
Expect a closely-contested affair that should go to the wire. But with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Youssoufa Moukoko having a point to prove, the young duo should guide the home side to a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Edin Terzic and his charges.