Borussia Dortmund play away to Union Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in the Bundesliga on Saturday, aiming to return to winning ways after a draw and a loss in their last two matches since returning from the international break.
Although the BVB posted six wins on the bounce before that, Niko Kovac's side remained unconvincing with their playing style and have now been made to play for it. Here are three things they must do tomorrow to avoid another slip:
1) Dortmund must score in the first half
As simple as that. But it hasn't been so for Dortmund lately. In fact, they have failed to score in the first half of their last three games in a row, including the 1-0 win over Stuttgart on 19 September which was achieved through Maximilian Beier's goal in the 70th minute.
If the Prussians are to avoid another slip-up, it's imperative for them to score goals in the first half. Union Berlin's defensive record should give them hope too, with the Iron Ones conceding 17 goals in the league so far, the worst record in the division behind only Borussia Monchengladbach (18 goals conceded).
2) Dortmund mustn't allow them space
Over the last two games, Dortmund were guilty of letting their opponents have too much of territory as Werder Bremen and Bodo/Glimt both made them pay for it. While the River Islanders grew into the match late on, the Superlaget had the BVB pinned back in their own half for much of their clash.
In the first one, they grew complacent after going 2-0 up and in the second, were desperately lacking in the urgency and organization. Either way, the opponents made merry with all the space and time on the ball given to them. Dortmund should avoid that here to prevent another shocker.
3) Close the game out
If Dortmund are leading by a fine margin, they must see the game off instead of taking their feet off the gas to let their rivals claw right back into the contest. For this, it's important for BVB to keep possession, as conceding it cheaply proved costly in the Bremen draw.
Niko Kovac's side has a worrying tendency of conceding late goals. Last season, they shipped in goals after the 80th minute in seven league matches, which points to an Achilles heel of theirs which is being unable to close the game off and avoiding squeaky bum time.
Hopefully, the BVB get this right tomorrow.
Add us as a preferred source on Google