Bottom-placed VfL Bochum will be pushing for their third league win when they host a struggling Borussia Dortmund side.
Niko Kovac will be looking to secure his first Bundesliga win as the manager of Borussia Dortmund when his team hits the road to square up against VfL Bochum, who are fighting for survival in the top flight.
The home team are rock bottom with just 11 points in their 21 outings. VfL Bochum have lost 14 of these fixtures, and they have been winless in their last four league outings. Dieter Hecking’s side played out a 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel in their last outing. While Bochum might have failed to secure all three points, they did put in a strong performance. But, they will have to do better to take down Borussia Dortmund.
The visitors find themselves in the bottom half of the points table thanks to a poor run in the first half under Nuri Sahin. While things have improved a touch post his departure, Niko Kovac failed to win his first league outing.
The 11th-placed team ended up losing 2-1 to VfB Stuttgart in their last Bundesliga e outing. But, the Black and Yellows are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-0 win over Sporting CP, which will surely give them the much-needed confidence. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
VfL Bochum
Maximilian Wittek is suspended for this fixture following a milestone yellow last time out. He joins the injured duo Myron Boadu and Felix Passlack on the sidelines.
Bochum tend to shift to a back three when they go up against the big teams, and that might be the case this time around as well despite Borussia Dortmund’s inconsistent form.
Against Borussia Dortmund, VfL Bochum will line up a 3-5-2 formation, where Patrick Drewes will feature in goal. The back three will be made up of Tim Oermann, Ivan Ordets and Bernardo.
Gerrit Holtmann and Samuel Bamba should feature as the wing-backs, while Tom Krauss should partner with Matus Bero and Ibrahima Sissoko in the centre of the park. Finally, Moritz Broschinski will start alongside Philipp Hofmann up front.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Drewes; Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo; Bamba, Bero, Sissoko, Krauss, Holtmann; Broschinski, Hofmann
Borussia Dortmund
The visitors will be without the services of Julian Ryerson and Ramy Bensebaini. Ryerson is suspended, while Bensebaini has joined Felix Nmecha on the sidelines.
Borussia Dortmund will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Gregor Kobel will be in goal. Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson will be the full-backs, while Waldemar Anton will pair up with Nico Schlotterbeck at the heart of the defence.
Emre Can and Pascal Gross should form the double pivot in central midfield. The duo will look to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball. Julian Brandt will take up the no. 10 role, while Karim Adeyemi and Jamie Gittens will provide width to their attacks from the flanks. Meanwhile, Serhou Guirassy should lead the line for Borussia Dortmund against Bochum.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Couto, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Svensson; Can, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens; Guirassy
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won 39 out of the 85 meetings between the two teams while the hosts only have 20 wins to their name.
- VfL Bochum have failed to win any of their last six matches against Borussia Dortmund.
- The team in black and yellow won the reverse fixture 4-2 back in September.
- The home team have conceded a minimum of two goals in four out of their six league games this year.
- Borussia Dortmund have lost two out of their three away league games in 2025.
Player to Watch
Jamie Gittens
Borussia Dortmund have been far from their best this season. They have struggled to get the desired result and are in the bottom half of the points table. While things have not gone according to plan for them, Jamie Gittens’s performances have been a massive positive for them. The 20-year-old has 11 goals and five assists in his 32 outings. Given the kind of form he has been in, the youngster will be eager to help his team return to winning ways.
Prediction
VfL Bochum 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
While Borussia Dortmund have not been at their best, they still have enough quality in their ranks to take down a team that has only won two games all season. Having lost 14 of their 21 games, Bochum will be looking to avoid defeat here but it is not going to be easy for them. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.
