TSG Hoffenheim 2-3 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

Borussia Dortmund beat Hoffenheim twice in one season to do the double over their bogey team

One of the final things to take note of is the significance of the result itself. As has already been mentioned, Hoffenheim is often a very difficult opponent for Borussia Dortmund, be it home or away.

You can go back all the way to the Jürgen Klopp era and see that Hoffenheim was often a stumbling block in Dortmund’s way; a game that wasn’t looked forward to.

That being said, Marco Rose’s current side have been able to pull the double over Hoffenheim, wining both the home and away fixtures this season with an identical 3-2 scoreline. This gives significant credence to the fact that, at least in the league, while Dortmund may not always get the job done cleanly, they are quite often getting the job done.

It is results like this that very much reflect the glaring flaws in this side, but also highlight a level of grit they can seem to call upon more often than in previous seasons. Now it’s just a matter of keeping this level of determination consistent in all competitions and against all teams.

Final Thoughts

Borussia Dortmund now have an international break to use for both training and recovery purposes. Players like Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland who had to come off early due to injury scares will benefit from this time and hopefully be ready to go once the break is over.

Borussia Dortmund’s schedule doesn’t really get any easier after the break, with Die Schwarzgelben hosting Bayer Leverkusen at the Westfalenstadion on February 6th. Leverkusen sit in third, 8 points behind Dortmund but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been a force this season.

The last game between these two, as was the case with Hoffenheim, was a multi-goal thriller, in this case a 4-3 win for Dortmund. The home advantage will play some part in the game hopefully, and the Black and Yellows can pull the double over Leverkusen too.

While there is still a 6 point gap to contend with, Marco Rose’s side should be aiming to maintain the pressure on Bayern in the event that this sustained pressure eventually provides an opening for Dortmund to either close or overcome the lead that the Bavarians currently hold.