Borussia Dortmund will aim to give Marco Reus a grand farewell at Signal Iduna Park when they host SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Bundesliga season will end on Saturday, with all matches of Matchday 34 kicking off simultaneously. One of the games will feature teams that have nothing to play for as Borussia Dortmund and already-relegated SV Darmstadt 98 lock horns at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon.
Borussia Dortmund would have hoped to contest for the Bundesliga title again this season. Instead, they will finish fifth, at least 27 points behind newly-crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Black and Yellows have a UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid to look forward to next month.
As for SV Darmstadt, they returned to the Bundesliga after a six-year hiatus following a second-place finish in the second division last term. However, they have endured a trial by fire on their return to the top flight, winning only three games all season, with two of those victories coming by Matchday 7. They did not last long in DFB Pokal either, bowing out in the first round against fourth-tier side FC 08 Homburg.
The reverse fixture saw Borussia Dortmund cruise to a 3-0 win over SV Darmstadt 98, with Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, and Youssoufa Moukoko finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Player to Watch
Borussia Dortmund
Edin Terzic does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday, the Borussia Dortmund manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
Sebastien Haller is the most notable absentee, with the Ivory Coast international recovering from an ankle injury. Haller accompanies Ramy Bensebaini (knee) and Julien Duranville (muscle injury) on the sidelines.
Terzic will likely name a near-full-strength starting eleven on Saturday as he looks to keep his team match-ready for the UEFA Champions League final. So, Gregor Kobel will take his spot between the sticks, with Borussia Dortmund lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Darmstadt. The backline should feature Julian Ryerson, Mats Hummels, Ian Maatsen, and Nico Schlotterbeck.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer in the double pivot. Marco Reus, who will play his final game at Signal Iduna Park, should reprise the no. 10 role, with Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Niclas Fullkrug will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Can, Sabitzer; Sancho, Reus, Adeyemi; Fullkrug
SV Darmstadt 98
Unlike his counterpart in the Borussia Dortmund dugout, Torsten Lieberknecht has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Signal Iduna Park. The SV Darmstadt 98 manager will be without ten first-team players on Saturday.
Jannik Muller is the latest absentee, with the 30-year-old serving a suspension after picking up a milestone yellow card last week against Hoffenheim. In addition, Lieberknecht is sweating over the fitness of Fabian Nurnberger and Emir Karic after the duo sustained minor issues last week.
In addition, Fraser Hornby (ankle), Braydon Manu (muscle), Fabian Holland (ACL), Clemens Riedel (ankle), Matthias Bader (nose), Bartol Franjic (unspecified), and Sebastian Polter (illness) remain on the sidelines. However, there is some positive update, as Christoph Zimmermann has served his suspension and will be available to take on Borussia Dortmund.
Zimmermann will replace Muller in the backline, joining Christoph Klarer and Matej Maglica in the central defensive trifecta. The trio will protect Alexander Brunst, with Darmstadt lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him against Borussia Dortmund.
As for the midfield unit, Julian Justvan and Marvin Mehlem will pair up in the central areas, with Karic and Gerrit Holtmann being the two wing-backs. Finally, Aaron Seydel will spearhead the Darmstadt attack against Borussia Dortmund, with Mathias Honsak and Tim Skarke completing the numbers in the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Brunst; Zimmermann, Klarer, Maglica; Karic, Justvan, Mehlem, Holtmann; Skarke, Seydel, Honsak
Key Stats
- Against no other side do Borussia Dortmund have a better goals-per-game ratio than SV Darmstadt 98 (among opponents they have faced at least nine times).
- Borussia Dortmund are yet to lose a home game against SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga (W2 D2).
- SV Darmstadt have lost their last three Bundesliga games, failing to find the back of the net in any outing.
- Borussia Dortmund have lost two of their three most recent Bundesliga matches, as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 16 outings in the top flight.
- A defeat on Saturday will leave SV Darmstadt 98 with 17 points in the Bundesliga this term, the second-worst tally by a top-flight club in the three-points-for-a-win era.
Player to Watch
Marco Reus
It was not going to be anyone else but Marco Reus. Jadon Sancho will be eager to continue his decent run of form, while Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt will have their agendas. However, Saturday will bring the curtains down on Marco Reus’s legendary spell with Borussia Dortmund.
Saturday will see Reus feature in his 294th and final Bundesliga game for Borussia Dortmund. The 34-year-old has scored 119 Bundesliga goals in Black-and-Yellow. While he will be eager to add to that tally, the veteran German attacker has nothing else left to prove in front of the Signal Iduna Park faithful.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 SV Darmstadt 98
2023/24 will end as the weakest Bundesliga campaign in seven seasons for Borussia Dortmund. However, with the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid coming up in a few days, the Black and Yellows will be eager to build momentum while preserving their pivotal figures.
So, they could not have asked for a better opponent than SV Darmstadt 98 to bring the curtains down on their Bundesliga campaign. The Lillies have been dreadful throughout the 2023/24 season and have failed to find the back of the net in their last three top-flight outings. That run should continue on Saturday, as The Hard Tackle predicts Borussia Dortmund to cruise to a 4-0 win over Darmstadt.
