Borussia Dortmund will host Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Friday. The hosts will have to make amends at home to keep their spot in the top four. Their perfect start to 2024 was halted in last Friday’s match.
Preview (Borussia Dortmund vs. Freiburg)
Edin Terzic’s Dortmund team was held to a scoreless draw at the Voith Arena last Friday. It spoiled their scheduled trip to the newly promoted Heidenheim. Dortmund is now trailing Stuttgart in third place going into the weekend. This despite dropping points and RB Leipzig winning their first game of the year. But with Eintracht Frankfurt’s defeat last weekend, it looks like the teams presently in third, fourth, and fifth place in the Bundesliga will be fighting for the final two Champions League slots. An enticing injury list from the previous week did not help Terzic, but now that they are playing on Friday. The manager is hoping they can gain the upper hand and put pressure on Stuttgart.
They have been enjoying themselves playing Freiburg lately, and they can double up against their next opponents here. In the rematch, Dortmund won 4-2 at Europa Park in September thanks to two late goals from Nicolas Hofler, whose late red card proved to be crucial. With BVB winning both of their encounters last season by an overall score of 8-2, goals have been frequent. The fixture has averaged more than five goals per game over the previous two seasons. Another thrilling matchup may be in store.
A draw with those who suffered Union Berlin’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim at home to start the season was followed by two straight losses to Werder Bremen and Stuttgart, which caused them to fall out of contention for European spots. Frankfurt is only three points behind Dortmund, but their troubles have kept them in the running for the top six. They now need to win to have any chance of finishing in the top four. They are now nine points behind.
Team News
Due to illnesses, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, and Gregor Kobel have not been able to play for Dortmund in recent weeks. The team will be hoping to have all three players back soon. Due to a groin injury that sidelined him just before the match, Jadon Sancho was also missing from the team that drew with Heidenheim. Sebastian Haller is away in Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations. It left fellow attackers Karim Adeyemi and Felix Nmecha on the sidelines.
After Japan’s loss from the Asian Cup, Risu Doan, a key attacker, has returned, and Freiburg will be happy to have him back. However, the visitors are missing several players as well, notably Munich Rohl. He is suspended after getting sent from the Stuttgart game last weekend after just 20 minutes of play. An increasing list of injuries at Freiburg includes Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Philipp Lienhart, but Matthias Ginter is also a major loss.
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Freiburg
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