Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund visit Hertha Berlin
Borussia Dortmund visit the German capital on Saturday as they take on Hertha Berlin at the Olympiastadion.
Matchday four of the Bundesliga will prove to be a highly tense match for both Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC who are coming off of disappointing results from the previous week.
The hosts have arguably been the worst performing Bundesliga side of the season so far. Crashing out of the DFB Pokal in the first round and losing the opening Bundesliga game against city rivals Union Berlin has raised many questions about Sandro Schwarz’s ability to revive this club.
His best result so far was a draw at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, who sit just above them in the standings in 15th place of the league. His side’s most recent result was a 1-0 loss away at Borussia Mönchengladbach which did nothing to sway the fans’ perception of him.
On the other side of the coin, there is Borussia Dortmund. The Black and Yellows lost in spectacular fashion against Werder Bremen last week despite managing to win every single game of the season before then.
Edin Terzić and his men were in control of the game and in the driving seat up until the 89th minute of the match, when Werder Bremen snatched one back. Quickly after their first goal, Werder found their second, and third not long after. The total collapse of Borussia Dortmund in the dying moments of the match filled the fans with grief although this wasn’t a sight they hadn’t seen at least once before.
What can we expect from Borussia Dortmund?
Following their disastrous result against Werder Bremen, Edin Terzić and Borussia Dortmund will be looking to put the match behind them and prove it was only a small slip up. Both Gio Reyna and Mahmoud Dahoud are set to miss the game with Karim Adeyemi available once again.
The return of the dynamic German international means the team will be dangerous on the wings, something that was lacking severely against Bremen. While the loss of Dahoud will prove to be painful, Dortmund fans can rejoice about the possibility of witnessing Salih Özcan’s debut for the club.
Edin Terzic could well opt for the commonly used 4-2-3-1 formation. Gregor Kobel will be the goalkeeper with Marius Wolf, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Raphaël Guerreiro being part of the back four. The likely midfield pairing will be Jude Bellingham with Salih Özcan considering Emre Can did a poor job replacing Dahoud last week. The offensive component of the team will likely be comprised of Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Modeste up front as the sole striker. If the match goes south for Dortmund, expect Youssoufa Moukoko and Thorgan Hazard to make an appearance.
Next. Make or break: Three underperforming Borussia Dortmund players who need to step up. dark
The season is still in its early stages. While it is true that Borussia Dortmund failed miserably in the last match, the project of Edin Terzic is just taking off. Fans must be patient with the young head coach and trust that the players will respond in time to the demands of a fanbase that is hungry for titles this season.