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Match Preview: Dortmund Look For Much Needed Victory vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Atalanta v Borussia Dortmund - UEFA Europa League Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

Things are not great in Dortmund right now. After our embarrassing home loss to Red Bull Salzburg many are disheartened. A win against a good Frankfurt side could do a lot to help the teams mentality.For game plan and lineup I don’t have much to say other then we need our best possible. We can’t afford to let up this game at all, or else we face a season outside the top 4.

For striker, Batshuayi is the obvious choice. While sometimes it seems like he’s not on the pitch, he has the capability to change the entire feel of a game in a moment. Reus also needs to start this game. He has been so important to the team since his return from injury. Both of these players will probably be the difference between a win and a tie. Frankfurt are going to sit back and play careful, its going to take a perfect pass and shot to open up the game.

For the rest of our midfield it should 100% be Gotze, Mo, Weigl, and Schurrle/Phillip. Gotze is another player who can help us break down Frankfurt’s offence, while he hasn’t scored much for BVB, his perfect vision could unleash Reus or Bats for better chances. Weigl and Mo have looked better in their past few starts. Frankfurt are going to be hard to break down and if our elite double pivot plays like they are an elite double pivot we should have a much better chance and reversing recent fortune. Weigl and Mo will also be crucial in stopping Frankfurt counter attacks that come down the middle. If BVB go down a goal and more numbers are committed forward, Frankfurt will have chances to counter down the middle. When that happens a tackle from Mo or Weigl could be the difference. While Weigl has been good at making those tackles, Dahoud has not in his time with BVB. In-fact its Mo that often makes the pass that givens up the counter going to down the middle. We are going to need good Mo and please god no Castro.

Our defense is still in shambles. Toprak is our best center back but even he has been making some critical mistakes recently. Akanji needs to start over Sokratis this game. While Sokratis is a good center back Akanji and Toprak are a better pair for when BVB needs to control the game. Hopefully we get a good pair of fullbacks on the field. Piz was rested on Thursday so he should be playing this game. While he can be prone to defensive errors his ability to move the ball up the field can be useful for BVB. Toljan also would be a good look for BVB.

For Frankfurt our big concern may be the just fit Kevin-Prince Boateng. Boateng, an ex-BVB player, looked good against BVB the last time around and he may want to further prove himself to his old club. If Rebic and Wolf are healthy BVB are going to have trouble down their wings. both are proven chance creators and have been big in Frankfurt's success. Frankfurt are second in points in the Ruckrunde so far, they are not the Frankfurt of years past. BVB will have a big challenge ahead of them but a win against one of the hottest teams in the Bundesliga could be huge.

What are are your match predictions?