Dortmund Match Preivew: BVB take on SC Freiburg

December Football is upon us.

Dortmund play SC Freibirg at home this weekend as the Hinrunde comes closer to its close. Freiburg currently sit 11th on the table with 14 points in 12 games. In his pre-game presser Favre said Wistel should be good to play after his knock in the UCL. Schmelzer on the other hand is still questionable.

Unfortunately we are probably going to see more of what we saw against Brugge against Freiburg. Since their promotion to the Bundesliga Freiburg has always sat far back against Dortmund. It is always the game I look forward to the least just because there is a guaranteed injury scare every time we go up against this side.

For our lineup I’d expect a strong 11. Hopefully we get a Akanji-Diallo tandem again as it has been our strongest CB pair this year. If/when Freiburg do get a break against us, their ability to track back can stop most runs. For fullbacks, Hakimi and Piz should be given the start. Zagadou can be a good defensive option if we go up big late, but since he is always good for a few big fouls, and Freiburg will surely be frustrating to play against, it will be risky to start him. If Witsel is fully fit of course he will be given the start, ideally alongside Delaney who is much stronger then Weigl or Dahoud. A gritty slugfest is the exact kind of game Delaney can excel in. On the wings, while Reus/Sancho is our best tandem, I think I may have multiple heart attacks with Reus going up against a a team that plays so rough. However, he is our captain and probably will play. Pulisic looked good against Brugge on Wednesday being one of our only players to make some decent opportunities for a goal. Maybe he will be able to break down this Freiburg side after stewing on the UCL result for a couple of days. I’d really like to see a Puli/JBL wing combo again and maybe replicate their preseason success. For our last midfielder, Kagawa would have been a perfect weapon against defensive Brugge and would probably be great against Freiburg, but it seems Favre does not seem to care to give Shinji the chance. it will most likely be Gotze or AM Reus there. Upfront, lets give Paco another start, because c’mon its Paco.

Don’t let Freiburg’s current standing fool you, they can rumble with any team in the league. Manager Christia Streich is probably the most underrated manager in Gemrany, keeping a team with a small budget playing at a top level. Their biggest scoring threat Nils Peterson, has frustrated BVB in the past, scoring 2 goals against us last spring. Their backline is strong, and former BVB player Pascal Stenzel has played very well so far this year. Their other fullback Christian Gunter is also a name you will dread by the end of the game. He has quickly become one of the better defensive fullbacks in the Bundesliga locking down the best players in the league. Gunter will make it a tough game for Reus if he starts.

What are your predictions for the match?