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Three talking points ahead of Borussia Dortmund vs Greuther Fürth

By Oliver Campo

DORTMUND, GERMANY - APRIL 21: Maximilian Philipp of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on April 21, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - APRIL 21: Maximilian Philipp of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on April 21, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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Lucien Favre’s first competitive match in charge of Borussia Dortmund will see him go up against second division side Gruether Fürth.

Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to kickstart their campaign with a win against Fürth and we could be set for an entertaining cup tie on Monday. Let us take a look at three talking points ahead of the game.

The starting XI

Except there to be a lot of familiar faces when Favre lines up BVB for the first competitive match of the season. Now that Favre can’t do a full field swap at halftime, his tactics will be precise. The question is who will not be included in his lineup. It is his first true competitive match and a win will be expected with the talent available to him.

It is easier to denote who won’t be on the lineup because of the squad’s depth. It is already known that Axel Witsel will not start in this match and Jacob Bruun Larsen recently suffered an injury after a promising preseason. Thomas Delaney, Abdou Diallo and Marius Wolf could get their first starts in Black and Yellow, depending how Favre wants to handle the second tier side.

The possibility of a “cupset”

The last time Borussia Dortmund and Greuther Fürth met, it was a thrashing by Jurgen Klopp’s team. Soccer is shown to have dark horse teams go deep in cup tournaments. Last year in the FA cup Lincoln City made such a run; Favre will not want to let that happen.

Based on the preseason games and overall quality of the team, I’d expect Dortmund to win this easily. But Dortmund will need to be very of Fürth, who are in good form and have some decent players in their ranks.

BAD RAGAZ, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 05: Head coach Lucien Favre of Dortmund controls the ball during the Borussia Dortmund training camp on August 5, 2018 in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
BAD RAGAZ, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 05: Head coach Lucien Favre of Dortmund controls the ball during the Borussia Dortmund training camp on August 5, 2018 in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Result could have a bearing on transfer business

Maximilian Philipp is expected to be the main striker for this match. While Philipp can be deadly in front of the goal, he is unproven as a leading striker. Favre also doesn’t have a solid backup for him. Alexander Isak is not expected in that position. Isak’s best chance for playtime is going out on loan as someone else would likely take over if Philipp is injured.

A good performance by Philipp could go a long way in calming down the fans’ fears. But a poor showing by him and the team could force Dortmund’s hand and make them go back into the transfer market.

At this rate, almost any striker as a backup sounds good. Atlanta United FC (MLS) striker Josef Martinez has 26 goals and 2 assists in the current season. He may play in a region where soccer is not the most popular sport, but, he is cheap. Dortmund shouldn’t necessarily go for him, but they must find a solution before the transfer window slams shut.

Next. Borussia Dortmund's ideal XI for next season. dark

Regardless, the squad still feels bloated when looking at it from afar. A few players could leave before the end of the month. But then again, BVB is in three separate competitions again this year. The depth might just be needed over the course of the season.

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