Borussia Dortmund will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins in the Bundesliga when they host Paderborn on Sunday.
Newly promoted Paderborn will be looking to cause an upset and secure their first win of the league campaign when they hit the road to square up against giants Borussia Dortmund.
The home team are third on the table with two wins in as many outings. They started their campaign with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Supercup final but have bounced back with four straight wins in all competitions.
They won 2-0 against Hamburg in their season opener and backed it up with a dominating 5-0 win over HEBC in the DFB-Pokal and a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the league. Dortmund are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-2 win over Villarreal.
While there have been a lot of question marks defensively, Dortmund are getting the job done, and they will be hoping that is the case when they host the newly promoted outfit. Paderborn started the season with a 4-2 win over Phonix Lubeck in the DFB-Pokal but are yet to win a league game.
While they started their league campaign with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Mainz, they ended up losing 1-0 to SC Freiburg. The visitors will have to step up and produce a near-perfect game if they are to secure all three points against Dortmund, who, despite some defensive concerns, are out-and-out favourites to win this fixture. 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 home team will be without the services of Emre Can (knee), Samuele Inacio (suspended), Konstantinos Karetsas (chest), Giannis Konstantelias (knee), Justin Lerma (muscular), and Filippo Mane (muscular) due to injury.
Despite being without a number of top stars, Niko Kovac is expected to stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Gregor Kobel will take charge in goal.
In the heart of the defence, Joane Gahou will start alongside Waldemar Anton and Daniel Svensson. The back three will be eyeing a clean sheet, and they will receive significant support from Julian Ryerson and Maximilian Beier, who will feature as the wing-backs.
Meanwhile, Jobe Bellingham and Joev Veerman will feature as the two central midfielders for the home team. The duo will look to ensure they dominate the ball and control the tempo of the game.
Ethan Nwaneri and Fabio Silva will be the two creators behind Serhou Guirassy, who will continue to lead the line for the German giants.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Svensson; Ryerson, Bellingham, Veerman, Beier; Nwaneri, Silva; Guirassy
Paderborn
The visitors will be without the services of Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant (ankle), Timur Gayret (knee), Lasse Eickel (back), and Sven Michel (groin), as they are all injured. Meanwhile, Sebastian Klaas is a doubt because of a groin issue.
Paderborn are expected to line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Nahuel Noll starting between the sticks. Jano ter Horst, Tjark Scheller and Mattes Hansen should form the back three, with the trio tasked with keeping the opposition attackers at bay.
Laurin Curda and Raphael Obermair are expected to operate as the wing-backs, providing width and supporting the attack. Laurin Ulrich, Santiago Castaneda and Gabriel Vidovic should form the central midfield trio, with the three midfielders looking to ensure Dortmund do not enjoy too much of easy possession.
Up front, Rayan Philippe is likely to partner Marvin Pieringer. The two forwards will look to combine effectively and make the most of the limited chances that come their way.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Noll; ter Horst, Scheller, Hansen; Curda, Ulrich, Castaneda, Vidovic, Obermair; Philippe, Pieringer
Key Stats
- The last time these two teams met was back in 2021 in the DFB Pokal, when Dortmund won 3-2.
- Borussia Dortmund have found the back of the net 14 times across their last five matches.
- Paderborn are yet to beat Dortmund in their eight previous meetings, losing five and drawing three.
- Dortmund extended their winning streak to four matches after securing a 3-2 win over Villarreal last time out.
- Paderborn have scored in seven of their eight encounters with Dortmund despite never managing to win any of them.
Player to Watch
Fabio Silva
Silva had a decent debut campaign at Dortmund last time out despite not having a prominent role in the team. While he was involved in 39 games, the 24-year-old striker only racked up 1,181 minutes of first-team action. However, he did finish with 10 goal contributions, highlighting his ability to influence the game in the final third.
The Portuguese striker is expected to have a much more prominent role this time around, and he has already made a very promising start to the season. He has been involved in four games so far, racked up 160 minutes and has already contributed towards four goals (3 goals, 1 assist). Silva will look to build on it and further strengthen his case for a starting role under Kovac.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Paderborn
Borussia Dortmund will be the clear favourites heading into this fixture, particularly after winning their last four matches across competitions. They have shown plenty of attacking quality in recent weeks and should be able to create enough chances against a Paderborn side that is still searching for its first Bundesliga victory of the season.
Paderborn have managed to score in most of their previous meetings with Dortmund and could cause a few problems if the hosts are not careful defensively. However, Dortmund have considerably more quality across the pitch and should eventually take control of the contest. The visitors could find the back of the net, but the home side should have enough to secure another league victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.