Match Preview: Dortmund start their Pokal Campaign against SpVgg Furth

The season is close!

Before we start our Bundesliga campaign we have one last test, against Furth in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Furth is a better opponent then Dortmund usually face in the first round of the Pokal, playing in the 2.Bundesliga. A tougher first test may be good for this team that will debut their identity under Farve for the first time in a competitive match.

For Farve’s lineup he has lots of options. Weigl played with BVB 2 recently so he will not play but Farve confirmed that Witsel will be in the squad.

As for the rest of the lineup oddly enough BVB’s prediction lineup, which if your new here is not always correct, did not show Witzel starting.

If this is the lineup it should definitely do the job. That front four is our just about best options at each position. Gotze played phenomenally last year and with another year of healthy play, he still may grow much more. Reus and Pulisic are a great pair of wingers, with Sancho able to replace either if things aren’t working out. More then any other player this game, Phillip at the striker spot is going to be the most important impact one way or another. With BVB apparently not buying another striker this year, Phillip is our first choice for the Hinrunde. Maybe if he doesn’t look great against Furth, Zorc and Farve will make a move, but it is doubtful.

Dahoud and Delaney would be an exciting midfield pair. Both have lots of talent and should keep things solid when we are in possession. As for our back line, the old guard of Piz and Schmelzer at the FB positions did not work great last year, but has been the most stable part of our team in years before that. Hopefully Schmelzer can rebound as he has not been himself for over a year. Akanji is our best center back and should definitely start. For this game I’d rather see Diallo then Toprak just so we can see more of what he can do. Diallo and Toprak have different skill sets however so we may not see a set CB pair this season unless one declines in quality by quite a bit.

As for Furth they have already played two matches this year taking a total of 4 points. Furth’s Striker Daniel Keita-Ruel has scored two goals so far so he will be the one to watch should he play. Probably the most interesting part of this Furth squad to american fans is the arrival of american Julian Green. Green, a former Bayern and Stuttgart player, has never really broken through on any team hes played with. Furth may be the right speed for him however, we’ll see if he plays on Monday. Furth just only avoided the relegation playoff last year by goal difference, so while its rough we get a 2.Bundesliga club and former Bundesliga club, Dortmund are expected to win without issue.

So how are you guys feeling going into our match vs Furth?