Schlagwort: preview

  • Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg preview: Hosts look to continue getting back on track

    Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg preview: Hosts look to continue getting back on track


    Die Schwarzgelben secured a 2-0 win on the road against St. Pauli last time out, placing them 10th with a seven-point gap to Eintracht Frankfurt in third.

    Their last home match in the Bundesliga proved sensational, as BVB overcame Union Berlin 6-0. Niko Kovac’s side, however, played out a 1-1 draw in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Lille on Tuesday evening.

    Kovac, though, has overseen a recent turnaround in form, with his men unbeaten in their last four matches.

    Augsburg will provide a stern test for Dortmund, after the hosts have failed to win eight of their last 10 matches on home soil; a far cry from the incredible home record set in the campaigns first half.

    Thankfully, the injury list for BVB is not too long.

    The hosts will be without both Daniel Svensson until the back end of the season, and Felix Nmecha who is set to return later this month. Otherwise, Kovac has a full squad to select from.

    The visitors held Champions League hopefuls Freiburg to a 0-0 draw last time out, with die Fuggerstädter unfortunate to not have taken all three points.

    The visitors, however, have failed to score in four of their last five in all competitions, although keeping three clean sheets during this period is a huge plus point for Jess Thorup’s side.

    Unbeaten in four, Augsburg have drawn three and won one in a run against sides making up part of the top eight.

    Thorup will believe that his men can provide a tough test for a resurgent Dortmund side this weekend.

    Augsburg are left with out Henri Koudossou, Robert Gummy and Mads Valentin Pedersen.

    Kristijan Jakic and Yusuf Kabadayi are also unavailable, meaning that Arne Maier and Frank Onyeka will likely start in the middle together.



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  • Borussia Dortmund vs Union Berlin preview: BVB look to salvage season

    Borussia Dortmund vs Union Berlin preview: BVB look to salvage season


    Borussia Dortmund

    BVB come into this fixture reeling from a humiliating 2-0 defeat against second-bottom VfL Bochum on 15 February, leaving them in 11th place with 29 points, just five points and two positions ahead of Union Berlin.

    Dortmund conceded twice in a chaotic first half against Bochum, yet their second-half display was notably lacklustre. They failed to create a clear-cut opportunity, registered just one shot on target and recorded an expected goals (xG) tally of only 0.46.



    Defensive frailties remain a major issue, with Dortmund shipping at least two goals in six of their last seven league matches, conceding 16 times in total over that period.

    To his credit, manager Niko Kovač guided his side to a goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday, securing a 3-0 aggregate victory to advance to the round of 16.

    Despite only taking charge in January following Nuri Şahin’s dismissal, Kovač has already suffered two league defeats, failing to claim a Bundesliga win in his tenure so far.

    Dortmund’s form has been inconsistent, winning three of their last six games in all competitions, losing two and drawing one. However, in the Bundesliga, they have been defeated in five of their past seven matches.

    Dortmund have only one confirmed absentee, with midfielder Felix Nmecha sidelined until at least late March. As a result, Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Groß are expected to start in central midfield.

    Kovač has deployed Emre Can as a centre-back in all four of his matches in charge, and he is likely to partner Nico Schlotterbeck in defence once again.

    Up front, first-choice striker Serhou Guirassy is expected to lead the line, flanked by wingers Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi.

    Union Berlin

    Union Berlin were beaten 2-1 by Borussia Mönchengladbach on 15 February, and while the scoreline suggested a close contest, they struggled to threaten their opponents. Their only clear-cut chance came in the 63rd minute when Andrej Ilić converted a penalty to reduce their two-goal deficit.

    Scoring has been a persistent problem for Die Eisernen, who have failed to find the net in four of their last seven outings. Their tally of 21 goals this season is the joint second-lowest in the Bundesliga.

    Union emerged victorious in their previous meeting with Dortmund, winning 2-1 on 5 October after executing a disciplined defensive display that limited BVB to just one major goalscoring opportunity.

    Since Steffen Baumgart took charge, Union’s league form has shown signs of improvement. In his five matches at the helm, they have recorded two wins, two defeats and one draw, collecting more points than they managed in their previous 11 fixtures combined.

    Union claimed a resounding 4-0 win against Hoffenheim in their most recent away match on 8 February. However, that victory came after a dreadful run on the road, where they lost seven consecutive away games.

    Union Berlin will be without midfielder Aljoscha Kemlein, meaning Janik Haberer and Rani Khedira could form a midfield duo.

    In defence, Josip Juranović, Danilho Doekhi, Diogo Leite and Tom Rothe are the most likely candidates to start, particularly with Oluwaseun Ogbemudia and Robert Skov unavailable.

    Further forward, Baumgart may opt for an attacking quartet consisting of Woo-Yeong Jeong, Marin Ljubičić, Benedict Hollerbach and Andrej Ilić.

    Impressum des Publishers ansehen



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  • Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting CP preview: Team news and predicted lineups

    Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting CP preview: Team news and predicted lineups


    After losing 1-2 to Stuttgart in Niko Kovac’s first game in charge, Borussia Dortmund looked to have turned the corner with an impressive 3-0 away win in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie with Sporting CP last week.

    However, as so often this season, a good European performance was followed by a poor domestic one, as Dortmund lost 2-0 to relegation-threatened VfL Bochum at the weekend.

    Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck warned of a “horror season” ahead if Dortmund don’t steady the ship soon.

    “It’s about doing the basics on the pitch. Taking on duels, going into duels, winning duels. That has to change as quickly as possible. And if we can’t do that, then we deserve to be where we are. We have to get it right quickly, otherwise it will be a horror season,” Schlotterbeck said after the loss to Bochum.

    The Black and Yellows will now be looking to bounce back, seal a place in the last 16 of the Champions League against Sporting and then turn their attention back to the Bundesliga, where their main concerns lie.

    Fortunately for them, things are not going well for Sporting either, with the Portuguese champions now winless in their last three games after a disappointing 2-2 draw with Arouca at the weekend.

    In terms of absentees, Felix Nmecha and Filippo Mané remain on the sidelines for Dortmund with long-term injuries, while Ramy Bensebaini could miss out again with the muscle injury that has kept him out of the last two games.

    Carney Chukwuemeka, meanwhile, is expected to return to the squad after returning to training on Sunday following a knee problem.

    BVB coach Niko Kovac is expected to make changes to his starting line-up after the poor performance against Bochum, with Julian Ryerson and Salih Özcan likely to come into the side at the expense of Niklas Süle and Marcel Sabitzer, who both struggled on Saturday.

    Daniel Braganca, Geny Catamo, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Goncalves and Nuno Santos are out for Sporting.



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  • Bochum vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Derby bragging rights at stake

    Bochum vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Derby bragging rights at stake


    Bochum are languishing at the bottom of the table after winning two, drawing five and losing 14 of their 21 league matches this season. As a result of that disappointing return, Bochum are sitting three points away from the relegation playoff spot and seven points away from safety altogether.

    Dieter Hecking’s side have taken just two points from their last four matches since beating St. Pauli 1-0 on January 15. They played out a 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig, before they lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach and Freiburg without troubling the scorers. They then had to settle for a point in last Sunday’s away clash against Holstein Kiel. Myron Boadu netted a brace to give Bochum a 2-1 lead, before David Zec netted a 50th-minute equaliser to ensure the contest finished all square.

    After being involved in a 2-2 away draw, Bochum will now return to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, where they have won two, drawn one and lost one of their last four matches. Bochum are looking to beat Dortmund for the first time since recording a 4-3 away win in April 2022, while they have not picked up a competitive head-to-head home victory since March 2007.

    Boadu has been ruled out with an injury he picked up in the recent draw with St. Pauli. Felix Passlack will not be fit to face his former club, while Maximilian Wittek will serve a one-match ban for an accumulation of yellow cards.

    Dortmund have their work cut out to secure Champions League qualification after collecting just 29 points from their 21 league games this season. As a result, they start matchday 22 in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, with seven points separating them from the top four.

    Die Schwarzgelben experienced disappointment in the first match of Niko Kovac’s tenure, falling to a 2-1 defeat in last Saturday’s home clash with Stuttgart. However, they managed to produce a positive response in Tuesday’s Champions League knockout round playoff first leg against Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring on the hour mark, before he provided the assist for Pascal Groß to double Dortmund’s advantage in Lisbon. Karim Adeyemi then added a third to give his side a commanding three-goal lead ahead of Wednesday’s return leg.

    After claiming their first win under Kovac, Dortmund will be focused on taking maximum points from Saturday’s derby fixture, especially as they have won just two of their previous 10 top-flight matches. They have lost just one of their last 13 Bundesliga meetings with Bochum, but they have seen each of their previous three away league encounters finish all square.

    Felix Nmecha remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Julian Ryerson will serve a one-match ban after being sent off in the closing stages of the defeat to Stuttgart.



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