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Borussia Dortmund will look to stay on top of the table when they travel to face SC Freiburg on Saturday. Dortmund walked away with a 3-0 victory in Freiburg back in February and swept the season series with a home win in September.
What To Watch For: Transition Play
Frieburg is winless through two matches, but has showcased incredible ability when turning defense into attack. On the transition is when Freiburg is most dangerous as speedy attack-minded players like Florian Niederlechner have shown a clinical goal-scoring ability in these types of situations.
Key to the Game: Wing Play, Through balls in the middle
Freiburg was victimized by RB Leipzig in their last match in two situations - crosses from the outside and through balls into the middle. Dortmund should look specifically to exploit the space in between Freiburg’s center backs as Aubameyang’s speed should prove vital. Dortmund, likely lining up in a 4-3-3 formation, will see its wingers with space to roam and create chances on crosses into the box. It’s setting up to be a perfect BVB-debut for Andriy Yarmolenko and a possible breakout afternoon for Max Philipp against his former club.
Player to Watch: Florian Niederlechner
If there’s one player to be nervous about on the Freiburg side, its definitely the striker Niederlechner. He’s a sneaky player with an ability to score and find space to shoot. He’s netted Freiburg’s only goal of the season so far and is definitely hungry for more.
Projected Lineup:
- Formation: 4-3-3
- Goalkeeper: Alexander Schwolow
- Defenders: Christian Gunter, Caglar Soyuncu, Philipp Lienhart, Pascal Stenzel
- Midfielders: Julian Schuster, Mike Frantz, Jannik Haberer
- Forwards: Ryan Kent, Florian Niederlechner, Onur Bulut
Prediction: Dortmund 4-0
Not only will Dortmund remain unscored upon this season, but Saturday’s match should be a complete dismantling of an injury-plagued Freiburg side. Freiburg lacks stability at the back and the offense is simply not dynamic enough to breakdown the Dortmund defense.