On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund will face Union Berlin in a potentially critical match at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Team Form
Borussia Dortmund
On Wednesday, Dortmund suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig, who were managed by their former boss, Marco Rose. Dortmund’s performance could have been better, as they only managed two shots during the game.
Their loss in the DFB Pokal has left them with only one chance of winning a trophy this season, and that is by clinching the Bundesliga title, which they haven’t won in 11 years. However, their recent defeat to Bayern Munich has made the task even more challenging.
In that game, Dortmund conceded four goals, with Kobel’s unfortunate own goal setting the tone for a defensive collapse against their arch-rivals. By the 50th-minute mark, they were 4-0 down, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga Form: W W D W L
Union Berlin
Union Berlin had a disappointing run of form between mid-February and mid-March, winning only one of their eight games in all competitions. However, they’ve turned things around recently with back-to-back home wins, putting themselves back in contention for the title race.
Fischer’s side narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season, but they are currently only four points behind league leaders Bayern Munich after a convincing 3-0 win against Stuttgart.
Unfortunately, Union Berlin’s hopes of winning a cup competition this season ended after a loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. With Randal Kolo Muani’s early brace, Union Berlin couldn’t mount a comeback and had too much to do at Deutsch Bank Park.
Despite their recent exits from the Europa League and DFB-Pokal, Union Berlin remains firmly on track to achieve their primary goal of securing Champions League football for the first time in their history.
Union Berlin Bundesliga Form: L D D W WĀ
Squad Report
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Jude Bellingham is set to return to their starting line-up for the upcoming match.
However, due to injuries, Dortmund will be without Nico Schlotterbeck, Mateu Morey, and Julian Duranville.
Additionally, Sebastien Haller and Thomas Meunier are major doubts about the match due to knee and back problems.
Union Berlin
Union Berlin hopes to have Fredrik Ronnow back in goal for their upcoming match, following the 30-year-old’s absence due to a knock in their previous game against Frankfurt.
However, they will be without Andras Schafer, who is recovering from a long-term foot injury.
After being substituted in the Frankfurt game, Paul Seguin is also unlikely to feature in the upcoming match due to a muscular issue.
Borussia Dortmund’s expected starting line-up:
Kobel; Wolf, Sule, Hummels, Ryerson; Bellingham, Can, Guerreiro; Brandt, Malen, Reus
Union Berlin’s expected starting line-up:
Ronnow; Doekhi, Knoche, Leite; Juranovic, Laidouni, Khedira, Haberer, Roussillon; Becker, Behrens
Head to Head
Regarding past meetings between the two sides, Borussia Dortmund has been the more dominant team, having won seven out of the ten head-to-head encounters. However, they have also suffered three losses at the hands of Union Berlin.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Saturday, April 08
Time: 01:30 pm, UTC
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund will aim to bounce back from recent disappointments and secure a victory in their upcoming match against Union Berlin. However, it won’t be easy, as Union Berlin has proven to be a formidable opponent this season with impressive performances.
