Players to Watch
Maxi Beier & Waldemar Anton: With multiple defenders likely to miss this match against Freiburg, Waldemar Anton will likely be anchoring the defense on Saturday. As a replacement for Mats Hummels, Anton has been underwhelming. He’s been replaced in center defense by midfielder Emre Can and has not been the potential partner to Schlotterbeck that fans hoped for. This game is an opportunity for Anton to showcase his abilities while impressing fans and Kovač. Improved performances of late and the opportunity to lead the defense against Freiburg make this match definitely one to watch for the German international.
Now, can Maxi Beier continue his form from last week? In his last five starts for BVB, the former Hoffenheim man provided five goal contributions. An impressive match against Mainz showed spectators the player Dortmund hoped for when Beier was signed over the summer. Another 90 minutes up front with Adeyemi is likely for tomorrow, as Guirassy isn't expected to start. The German scored first in the previous encounter with Freiburg; will he do it again?
Florian Müller & Vincenzo Grifo: According to statistics website Fotmob, Grifo is Freiburg’s best player this season. He has eight goals and eight assists, making him the team leader in assists and tied for the team lead in goals. Fbref reports that he is having his best Bundesliga season, averaging 0.76 goals and assists per 90 minutes. In 14 games against Dortmund, Grifo has totalled four goal contributions throughout his playing history. Keeping the Italian attacker quiet will be essential for BVB’s attempt at three points.
Florian Müller is another player to watch, but for different reasons. Starting goalkeeper Atubolu has performed well for Freiburg this season and is their third best performing player, according to Fotmob. A save percentage of 70% and a clean sheet percentage of 40% further add to the young German's impressive year. With the loss of Atubolu from the starting XI, Freiburg will look to Müller as the man between the sticks. In his four Bundesliga games played this season, Müller has conceded a total of seven goals with a save percentage of 61.5%. The backup goalkeeper could be someone for Kovač and his men to target on Saturday.