Match Preview: BVB Vs VfL Bochum

After losing to Bayern Munich last Saturday and playing in a charity friendly against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund will play VfL Bochum tomorrow at Westfalenstadion. With three games left in the season and pretty much no important football left to be played for either side, this isn’t the most intriguing game from a fan perspective, but there are still a few interesting stories to keep track of. For instance, Bochum is a local rival, so the fan presence on Saturday should be incredible. Marco Rose will have a few interesting lineup decisions to make. And, of course, Marius Wolf is playing, and if that doesn’t get you excited to watch, I’m sorry to say it, but you’re dead inside. So, if you can manage to stop tacking the latest Karim Adeyemi, Nico Schlotterbeck or mystery striker rumors for a couple of hours on Saturday, I’d highly recommend that you watch BVB vs Bochum. #UnleashTheWolf

Bild reported earlier today that English youngster Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is expected to make his starting debut tomorrow. Bynoe-Gittens got his first real taste of the Bundesliga last weekend against Bayern where he showed off his dribbling skills against the best that the league has to offer. If he gets the chance to start against Bochum, it should be a good step in his transition to the first team, which is pretty much all but guaranteed next season. Hopefully, we get to see JBG get a few more professional minutes under his belt tomorrow. Make the right decision, Rose. Let the kid play.

Lineup Prediction

With the season pretty much over, it’s time to play some youth players and mess around with some different ideas. For that reason, I have Tom Rothe playing left back and Raphael Guerreiro bumped upfield at left wing. The idea of Guerreiro playing in attack is nothing new, but with Dortmund’s rumored interest in acquiring a new left back in the summer, the end of the season should be an opportunity for him to prove himself in another area of the pitch. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens should also get the opportunity to get his starting debut on Saturday with this reportedly being his last chance to start before returning to the youth team to end the year.

Prediction

If Bynoe Gittens and Rothe both get to start, I think they should give the first-team squad the extra boost they need to get three points on Saturday. It may seem like a slightly trivial detail, but injecting youth into the squad should give everyone a little extra motivation. The full crowd at Westfalenstadion should also help. Final score prediction: 4-1.