Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund Travel to Dreisamstadion to Face Freiburg

Borussia Dortmund return to the Bundesliga having come away from the DFL-Supercup tie against Bayern Munich empty-handed. They will be hoping for more success away from home at Freiburg. Freiburg opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Arminia Bielefeld, and currently sit 12th in the Bundesliga, but they’re no pushovers, having beaten BVB 2-1 last season.

Dortmund have started the season reasonably well, beating Wehen Wiesbaden 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal, before winning 5-2 in the opening game of the Bundesliga against Frankfurt. The 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich earlier in the week does blight the record a little, but I don’t think it should be any cause for concern. Bayern Munich are very, very good, and but for some defensive lapses (thanks to a patched together back four), things could have been different. Freiburg are a tough side, but Borussia Dortmund will be favorites, and any less than a win would be a real disappointment.

The good news is that Julian Brandt, Thomas Meunier, Rapha Guerreiro, Mats Hummels, and Emre Can are all in the running to return. They’ve all returned to training, and their fitness will be assessed ahead of tomorrow’s tie. Thorgan Hazard won’t be available though, as he is out with an ankle injury.

Expected Lineup

I think it will prove to be a little too soon for the five players returning to the squad, so I think the lineup will look a lot like the one we saw against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. While I don’t see many of the returning players starting, I imagine one or two will be on the bench, and may even feature at some stage.

I think Meunier will be the only change from the Bayern game, assuming he’s not feeling any negative effects from Covid-19. Passlack was lost at sea in the week, and Witsel simply didn’t have the capacity to cover for him. Meunier didn’t look great last season, but he’s still a significant improvement, so as soon as he is ready, he will be straight back in the starting lineup. If Meunier isn’t ready, perhaps it will be Emre Can instead.

Elsewhere, I think we’ll see Moukoko start over Malen again. I know we’re all itching to see Malen start, but it will take a little while for him to adjust to his new team, and there’s no point rushing him just yet. Moukoko looked a little off the pace against Bayern, but I think he can do the job against Freiburg.

Prediction

I am less than confident about BVB’s backline right now, but I think that the offense can make up for those issues, so I see Dortmund winning despite an early scare.

Freiburg 1-2 Borussia Dortmund