Match Preview: Dortmund to finally play Lotte in DFB action

Ok let’s try this again.

BVB travel to upstart Lotte again for the next round of the DFB Cup. Lotte is a third division side, but has beaten Werder, Leverkusen and 1860 Munich thus far in the DFB Pokal. That is incredibly impressive. Meanwhile, BVB have had a unimpressive cup run so far. We have needed penalties to beat Union Berlin and Hertha Berlin, consecutively. With Lotte having pitch troubles in the past month, the game will be played in a neutral ground close in Osnabrück which is close to Lotte.

BVB have had a weird run so far in the Rückrunde. We started wobbling then went on a hot streak after our loss in the first leg of the Benfica UCL match. Between Freiburg, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen and the second leg of Benfica it looked like we were only speeding up. Then as always, cold reality set in as we lost 2-1 away to Hertha over the weekend. Hertha have one of the best home records in the league so maybe the loss isn’t as bad as it feels, but a loss still may effect the confidence of the Bees. Hopefully everybody can get their heads on straight to take on this lower tier side. Tuchel said that Weigl will not be available for the match and Sokratis is on a red, but everyone else should be ready. We may even see Isak on the bench this game after Tuchel said he has integrated into the team well. Shinji Kagawa was our best player on the pitch for Hertha so hopefully Tuvhel will give him more opportunity to show his value. With passing maestro Weigl out Kagawa may be the best passer we have available for the midfield if he keeps up his form from the last match. The game plan should be as it has been for the past few matches, to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. If we can demoralize Lotte early in the neutral ground we should be able to hold on for a win.

Lotte currently sit 7th on the 3.Liga table. Don’t let that fool you, they have all the makings of giant killers. Lotte are a high scoring side, scoring 3rd most in the league so far this season. They scored 2 goals in each of their DFB games so far. They were able to hold Bayer to pens, which they were able to win to advance on. They also shut out 2.Bundesliga side 1860 Munich. With BVB struggling to keep clean sheet most of the season and without Sokratis, it will be hard to keep this side at bay.

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