Match Preview: BVB keep a busy stretch moving as HSV come to Dortmund

After our 1-1 tie to the smurfs there’s no rest for the Black and Yellows as we face Hamburg this Tuesday. Last time we played HSV we crushed them 4-0, let’s hope for the same result at home. Tuchel said in his press conference that Schurrle, Reus and Durm are all definite no’s for the match as well as Schmelzer and Weigl being doubtful.

Without Weigl this game will be rough for BVB. Our game plan will definitely have to be aggressive if we we are to beat a team without our most important midfield man. Bender will be fit for the game (yay) and may start in a back three with Sokratis and Bartra. That back three would actually be really fun to watch play together. In the midfield we will probably need Castro to play a a central midfielder without Weigl and we may even see Sahin get a start or sub as hes one of our only true central midfielders that can handle defensive responsibilities. Hopefully Aubameyang will play even though he is in trouble with Watzke at the moment. Tuchel signaled that Auba is in good terms sporting wise so that may not be too big of an issue. Pulisic will probably get playing time after being rested over the weekend. Hopefully Kagawa is given a start after his really impressive stretch the last few games. For a guy who was out ofnthe team in the first half of the season, Kagawa has been such a important factor in the final part of this season. There’s also the issue of how hard our schedule gets in the coming week, so we may still play a rotated lineup against HSV.

Hamburg have been on a good recently run not losing their last 4 games. In Febuary they did get massacred 8-0 by Bayern so they still have plenty of issues. Tuchel said in his press conference that Hamburg would be a tough team to dispatch and that our win over them in the fall wasn’t as one sided as the scoreline suggests. Hamburg aren’t safe from the relegation playoff, sitting 1 point above the 16th place spot. They will be playing with their backs to the wall this month to escape the chance of relegation. Lewis Holtby is the man to watch on HSV after scoring a late winner against Koln over the weekend.

What are your predictions for the match?