Pre-season friendly preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Bologna FC

Borussia Dortmund play their fourth and final pre-season friendly on Friday as they take on Italian side Bologna FC in Altach, Austria. 

The first competitive game of the new season is just over a week away and Borussia Dortmund are about to wrap up their pre-season training camp in Bad Ragaz. Marco Rose’s side will be looking to end their pre-season preparations on a high as they take on Italian side Bologna FC on Friday.

Borussia Dortmund go into the game having lost each of their last two pre-season friendlies. And while results do not matter much in test matches, the Black and Yellows will certainly want to get a win on Friday.

The game will come too soon for new signing Donyell Malen, as well as Raphael Guerreiro, Emre Can, Manuel Akanji, Axel Witsel, Thorgan Hazard and Thomas Meunier.

Borussia Dortmund also have a long injury list, featuring the likes of Mats Hummels, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Soumaila Coulibaly, Marcel Schmelzer, Marius Wolf and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Gio Reyna is also a doubt after suffering a thigh injury before the game against Athletic Bilbao. Ansgar Knauff and Albin Thaqi will also miss the game after leaving the training camp early to help the U-23s for their game this weekend.

BVB II duo Antonios Papadopoulos and Lennard Maloney will continue to fill in at centre-back. They will be hoping to make an impression ahead of next weekend’s DFB-Pokal first round tie against SV Wehen Wiesbaden.

With more players now available to him, Marco Rose could look to make a few tweaks to his formation. Borussia Dortmund have gone with a 4-2-3-1 formation in all of their games so far. And it will be interesting to see if Rose uses a two-striker formation for at least part of the game on Friday.

Bologna FC, who are coached by Siniša Mihajlović, have a number of talented players in their squad. And we could be in for an exciting match-up at the Cashpoint Arena on Friday.

Expected Borussia Dortmund Starting XI vs Bologna FC: Kobel – Passlack, Papadopoulos, Maloney, Schulz – Dahoud, Gürpüz – Reyna, Brandt, Reus – Haaland