Nuri Sahin’s Borussia Dortmund will kick-start their Bundesliga campaign at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt.
After suffering a disappointing defeat in the final of the UEFA Champions League last season, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to bounce back this time around. The team in black and yellow will be eager to kick-start their Bundesliga campaign with a win when they square up against Eintracht Frankfurt, another club that will hope to finish in a UCL spot this season.
After a mixed pre-season, Dortmund got off to a flying start with a 4-1 win over FC Phönix Lübeck in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. They dominated the entire proceedings, and Sahin will be expecting something similar from his team against Frankfurt.
The arrival of Waldemar Anton, Yan Couto, Pascal Gross, Serhou Guirassy, and Maximilian Beier surely bolsters the Borussia Dortmund ranks, and they will be hoping for a much-improved performance in the German top flight this season.
Eintracht Frankfurt finished the pre-season with a 3-2 defeat to Valencia, but they managed to bounce back in their DFB-Pokal fixture against Eintracht Braunschweig. It was an easy 4-1 win and they were the dominant force throughout.
But, the game against Borussia Dortmund won’t be that straightforward for Eintracht Frankfurt, and they will come up against some serious challenges. As a result, it will be interesting to see how they square up against German giants on the opening day of the Bundesliga season. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
The Borussia Dortmund fans won’t be able to see their star signing Serhou Guirassy in action until September as he is out with a knee injury. But, apart from him, everyone else is available for their opening fixture.
Nuri Sahin’s team will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Gregor Kobel will be in goal. Yan Couto will be making his Bundesliga debut as the right-back, while Nico Schlotterbeck could feature as the left-back. In the heart of the defence, summer signing Waldemar Anton will feature alongside Niklas Sule.
Skipper Emre Can is expected to be the defensive midfielder with Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Gross present in his support. The trio will look to control the tempo and dominate the ball.
In attack, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier will feature on the flanks and provide width to their attacks, while Julian Brandt will be leading the line for this fixture. The front three will have a free-flowing setup with all three of them exchanging positions.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kobel; Couto, Anton, Sule, Schlotterbeck; Can, Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Beier
Eintracht Frankfurt
The visitors will be without the services of Mehdi Loune, Marcel Wenig and Harpreet Ghotra. Summer signings Robin Koch and Hugo Ekitike are both expected to start in this fixture with a few other new signings starting on the bench.
Eintracht Frankfurt will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Kevin Trapp will be in goal. Rasmus Kristensen and Niels Nkounkou will start out wide on the flanks as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Koch will pair up with Brazilian defensive sensation Tuta. The back four will look for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of the double pivot just in front of them.
Ellyes Skhiri and Hugo Larsson will form that double pivot. They will shield the backline and create a foundation for them to attack from. Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze will be the attacking midfielder, while Fares Chaibi and Omar Marmoush will provide width to their attacks. Former PSG star Ekitike will be leading the line for his new club.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Trapp; Nissen, Koch, Tuta, Nkounkou; Skhiri, Larsson; Chaibi, Gotze, Marmoush; Ekitike
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won 26 out of the last 46 matches against Eintracht Frankfurt who only have seven wins to their name.
- In the history of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund have defeated Eintracht Frankfurt a record 50 times, more than any other opponent.
- Eintracht Frankfurt were exceptional in front of goal in pre-season as they scored 25 goals in their five games.
- Borussia Dortmund have won their opening league game of the season in the last nine editions, which is an active record in the Bundesliga.
- The team in yellow and black secured a fifth-place finish last season, it was the first time they finished outside the top four since the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
Player to Watch
Maximilian Beier
Borussia Dortmund’s new signing, Maximilian Beier scored 16 goals and bagged three assists in his 33 Bundesliga outings last season for Hoffenheim. The 21-year-old German striker’s exceptional performances resulted in a move to the Black and Yellows, and he will be hoping to start things with a bang against Eintacht Frankfurt.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Both teams are expected to fight for a UEFA Champions League spot this time around. While Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund finished sixth and fifth, respectively, there was a massive 16-point gap between the two teams. A win here will be the best possible way to start the season for Frankfurt.
However, the visitors might not be able to get past the team in black and yellow. They seem to have more quality on their bench, and it could be the difference between the two teams. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Nuri Sahin and his charges.