Borussia Dortmund host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, aiming to return to winning ways after consecutive draws in the Bundesliga. Here are three things to watch:
1) A potential high-scoring affair
Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt have contested some high-octane clashes in recent times, producing goals aplenty. Just last season, each of their two Bundesliga duels had a minimum of five goals; seven of their last 10 matches in the league has seen at least four, a testament to just how entertaining this fixture has been in recent times.
Both sides boast some quality options in attack, with Dortmund set to rely on their prolific marksman Serhou Guirassy to produce the goods, while Jonathan Burkardt and Younes Ebnoutalib have been carrying the Eagles on their shoulders. This could end up being another goalfest.
2) Mario Gotze's homecoming
Rivalry aside, we're in for an emotional reunion between Dortmund and one of their former stars, Mario Gotze. The midfielder returned to Bundesliga in 2022 with Eintracht Frankfurt after two years in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven failed to yield concrete results. On Saturday, he returns to his old stomping ground Signal Iduna Park once again.
During eight years at the club across two spells, Gotze amassed 219 appearances, scoring 45 goals and assisting 61 times. He's yet to find the net this season in the league for the Eagles, registering just one assist from four appearances. The BVB will be making sure their ex-employee doesn't get to break the jinx on their turf.
3) Selection headaches for Niko Kovac
Most importantly though, the top-billing clash has thrown up a selection headache for Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac, who has already fielded a few brickbats for some of his decisions lately. The win over Sabah on Tuesday has shown Joey Veerman deserves more gametime, but the manager has often swapped him with Jobe Bellingham in midfield even though the Englishman doesn't provide the kind of dynamism and ability to control tempo quite like how Veerman does.
Then there's the qestion of who's going to play off lone striker Serhou Guirassy too. Kovac field him and Fabio Silva together in their recent Champions League win and it paid off handsomely, but he's often preferred Ethan Nwaneri in his place. Konstantinos Karetsas' injury has opened up one more spot in the No.10 role, but Maximilian Beier has come in. With all three players gunning for gametime, the BVB coach has an important decision to make here.
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