Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to secure their first league win of the new season when they host Union Berlin on Sunday.
Union Berlin will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins in the Bundesliga when they travel to Signal Iduna Park face Borussia Dortmund, who had to settle for a point on Matchday 1.
While the hosts secured a top-four finish last season, they were far from their best. Their campaign has not started smoothly either, as they were held to a draw by St. Pauli in their opening fixture.
Borussia Dortmund were 3-1 up heading into the final five minutes of regulation time, but Filippo Mane’s sending-off handed St. Pauli a lifeline. The visitors capitalised with two quick goals to snatch a point from the the Black and Yellows. Niko Kovac’s men will be determined to deliver a stronger performance against Union Berlin.
The visitors, meanwhile, could only manage a bottom-half finish last season, but they are looking to do much better this time around. They kicked off the new campaign with an impressive win over VfB Stuttgart.
Although Union Berlin hardly saw much of the ball, they stayed compact at the back and struck effectively on the counter. Despite creating a few chances, they made the most of them and will now hope to cause Borussia Dortmund problems on the road. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
With Filippo Mane suspended, Niko Kovac will be without four first-team defensive options as Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule are already out injured. Julian Ryerson could be asked to fill in as a centre-back in this fixture.
Borussia Dortmund will stick with the 3-4-1-2 formation, where Gregor Kobel will take charge in goal. The back three will be made up of Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, and Ramy Bensebaini.
Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson will feature as the wing-backs for the home team, while Pascal Gross will partner with Marcel Sabitzer in a more central role. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game.
Jobe Bellingham will feature as the attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund against Union Berlin. He will be looking to contribute on both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Serhou Guirassy will partner with Karim Adeyemi in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Bensebaini; Couto, Gross, Sabitzer, Svensson; Bellingham; Guirassy, Adeyemi
Union Berlin
The visitors will be without the services of Andrik Markgraf and Livan Burcu. Meanwhile, there is doubt over the availability of Lucas Tousart.
Union Berlin will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, where Frederik Ronnow will take charge in goal. Danilho Doekhi will partner with Leopold Querfeld and Tom Rothe in the heart of the defence.
Christopher Trimmel and Robert Skov are expected to operate as the wing-backs, while Andras Schafer will line up alongside Rani Khedira and Janik Haberer in central midfield. Their primary task will be to prevent the Borussia Dortmund’s midfielders from dictating play too deep inside Union Berlin’s half. In the final third, Andrej Ilic will partner with lyas Ansah.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Rothe; Trimmel, Schafer, Khedira, Haberer, Skov; Ilic, Ansah
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have won 10 out of the last 15 matches against Union Berlin, who have four wins in those meetings.
- The last time the two teams met in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund recorded a 6-0 win. It is Union Berlin’s biggest defeat in the competition.
- For the first time in 11 years, Dortmund have failed to win their opening league game of the season.
- Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in their last nine league games.
- The last time Borussia Dortmund failed to win the first two league games of league campaign was during the 2007/08 season.
Player to Watch
Jobe Bellingham
While Bellingham had an impressive Club World Cup campaign with two goal contributions in his four outings, he has not had the best of starts to the new season. The 19-year-old has only had two short appearances so far, and he will be eager to make a mark when he takes the pitch against Union Berlin.
Just like his brother Jude Bellingham, Jobe is someone who can contribute on both ends of the pitch. Niko Kovac will be hoping the teenage sensation brings his A-game to the table when they take on the team from Berlin at home.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Union Berlin
Borussia Dortmund will be eager to respond after their disappointing collapse against St. Pauli on the opening weekend. Despite looking in control for large parts of that game, defensive lapses and Filippo Mane’s late red card proved costly.
Back on home soil, and with plenty of attacking quality at their disposal, Niko Kovac’s men will look to seize the initiative early on and ensure they do not repeat the same mistakes. Union Berlin, on the other hand, will arrive full of confidence after their disciplined display against VfB Stuttgart.
Union Berlin might not dominate possession, but their organisation and counter-attacking threat could trouble Borussia Dortmund if given space. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home team.