Match Preview: Dortmund Travel to Hertha Berlin

Pre-Match Thoughts:

Dortmund continued a decent run in March, winning their last three Bundesliga games to stay even on points with Bayern München, following a month of poor form in February.

Following a 2:2 draw in Dortmund in late October, as Salomon Kalou netted a late penalty to give the visitors the draw, Favre’s side will be looking end up on top for what looks to be a tough

That said, Ruhr Nachrichten reported that both Mario Götze and Paco Alcacer did not make the trip to Berlin. The reasons for why the two players did not travel with are currently unknown. With Maximillian Philipp, Lukasz Piszczek, and Axel Witsel all injured, picking the team will be a complicated task for Favre, especially when considering who is going to play in the forward position, and what tactical adjustments need to be made for a physical and defensively sturdy side like Hertha Berlin.

Overall, the optimism is not there for this fixture, seeing the task of overcoming such a physically and mentally draining side like Berlin with a depleted squad. This could be the time for Favre to switch up his tactics to suit the available talent, or to stick to his guns, readjust the side, and attempt to fit different players into the usual tactic. While the potential to play Bruun Larsen up top, or even hand Sergio Gomez his senior debut remains possible, most likely it will be Reus playing up top with someone like Dahoud or Pulisic in behind.

As injury woes continue, Favre needs to get creative with his lineups, while avoiding the danger of presenting a tactic that the team would be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with – a danger that would certainly provide more jeopardy to the result than tweaking with a formation that seems stale or broken at the current time.

Expected Lineup:

Seeing how the expected lineup from the BVB website included both Götze and Alcacer, with Delaney simply replacing Witsel in the 4-1-4-1 that Favre has recently adopted, I will make my own lineup as to how I expect Favre to line up the Dortmund side tomorrow.

I think that a double pivot will be played, as Favre will want to win the midfield battle against such a physical side. Potentially, a multitude of variations of a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-4-1 could be thrown around, and with so little answers, it leaves more questions as to how Favre is going to approach tomorrow’s match. With no actual forwards available, Reus seems destined to be up top. And because of Reus’s discomfort at being a lone forward, I would expect to see a compact front 3 or 4, intent on counter attacking.

Predicted Score:

Hertha Berlin : Borussia Dortmund (2:1)

What is your projected lineup for this match and what is your final score prediction?