Borussia Dortmund will look to make it consecutive wins in the Bundesliga when they hit the road to square up against Union Berlin.
Union Berlin will look to return to winning ways when they host last year’s UEFA Champions League finalist Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 6 of the Bundesliga ahead of the latest international break.
The home team have endured a mixed start to the new season with two wins, two draws and a defeat in their first five outings. The Berlin-based club are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hand of Borussia Monchengladbach.
They were second-best for the majority of the game and did not really deserve anything from the game. Union Berlin will have to put up a much-improved performance to get something out of this game against Borussia Dortmund.
The visitors have enjoyed a decent start to the new campaign with three wins, a draw and a defeat. But, they are currently fifth on the points table and would look to climb up with a win over Union Berlin.
Borussia Dortmund are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-2 win over VfL Bochum in the league and a 7-1 win over Celtic in the Champions League. They will be confident of getting another positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and predicts the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Union Berlin
The home team will be without the services of Yannic Stein, Ivan Prtajin, and Josip Juranovic. Meanwhile, Kevin Volland’s availability is a major doubt.
Union Berlin will line up with a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Frederik Ronnow should continue in goal. The back three should consist of Danilho Doekhi, Kevin Vogt, and Diogo Leite. The centre-backs will aim for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of Janik Haberer and Tom Rothe who should be the wing-backs for this fixture.
Meanwhile, Rani Khedira and Andras Schafer should feature in the centre of the park. They will look to ensure the Borussia Dortmund midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Benedict Hollerbach and Jeong Woo-yeong should start as the two attacking midfielders behind Jordan Pefok.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ronnow; Doekhi, Vogt, Leite; Haberer, Schafer, Khedira, Rothe; Jeong, Hollerbach; Jordan
Borussia Dortmund
Karim Adeyemi has picked up a hamstring injury earlier this week and is expected to be out until the end of the month. The German international joins Giovanni Reyna on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Donyell Malen is a doubt because of fever.
Nuri Sahin’s team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Gregor Kobel will be in goal. Yan Couto and Julian Ryerson should be the two full-backs. They will take care of the flanks, while Waldemar Anton will pair up with Nico Schlotterbeck in the heart of the defence.
Emre Can should start alongside Pascal Gross in the centre of the park. They will look to shield the back line and also ensure they dictate the pace of the game. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julien Duranville should feature on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks, while Julian Brandt will feature in the number ten role. Serhou Guirassy should lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Couto, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Can, Gross; Gittens, Brandt, Duranville; Guirassy
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won nine out of their last 13 outings against Union Berlin who only have three wins to their name.
- The home team have lost seven out of the last ten outings against Dortmund in the league.
- Union Berlin last won a league game against Dortmund back in August 2019 (3-1).
- Before their 1-0 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach, the team from Berlin had made their second-best start to a top-flight campaign with eight points from their first four games.
- Union Berlin have won both their home team and could secure three consecutive home wins for the first time in their history.
Player to Watch
Julian Brandt
Brandt has made a decent start to the new season, with two assists in his five league outings. However, he is yet to score his first league goal. With a few of their forwards unavailable, the 28-year-old will look to lead from the front and help his team secure another win.
Prediction
Union Berlin 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
While Borussia Dortmund have a great historic record against Union Berlin, it won’t be that easy to get all three points in this away fixture. It is expected to be a closely fought encounter where both teams will have their chances. In the end, the team in black and yellow should manage to come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.