Match Preview: Crunch Time for Edin Terzic at Der Alten Försterei

It’s matchday 24, and BVB will be traveling to the eastern part of Berlin to face off against Nenad Bjelica’s Union Berlin side, who have pulled themselves up from the depths of the relegation spots, eight points clear (25) of FC Cologne (17) in the play-off spot. Union Berlin were last seasons big Bundesliga darlings, but the fairytale unfortunately came to an abrupt halt this season, when the Die Eisern, after having collected six points from the seasons first two matches, went on a 16 game winless streak, which also saw legendary coach Urs Fischer being sacked. When Nenad Bjelica took over the team, they didn’t get the immediate new manager bounce, but in recent weeks, Union Berlin have slowly but surely fought their way up the table and now seem safe in terms of relegation. Union Berlin have 13 points from their last five home games, which seems very scary for Terizc's Dortmund side, which is currently totally out of sync. If Dortmund don’t get a win here, we’re at the point where it could prove fatal for Edin Terzic’s position as head coach.

Predicted Starting XI

Dortmund will be without Gregor Kobel once again due to a minor injury, and Donyell Malen will unfortunately be missing from this game after his 5th yellow card against Hoffenheim last week. Good news is that Felix Nmecha is now back in the squad, and could make his return in a short cameo tomorrow. With the personnel available, I think this is the most probable lineup for tomorrow’s game:

Based on last week, Emre Can would axed from the squad tomorrow, but I also understand Terzic’s reason for playing him. I too would feel obligated to field my self-chosen captain in order to prove the haters wrong. Let’s hope it happens. I don’t like Brandt and Reus being in this lineup, and if I had to make the call myself, Sancho would go on the right side and Adeyemi on the left. Other than that, I think the rest of the squad if fine. Füllkrug hasn’t been as impactful lately, so who knows? Maybe Mouki could start (probably not).

Player to Watch: Robin Gosens

Robin Gosen’s first season at 1. FC Union Berlin has been very rough, but it has really not been his fault. The seasoned German has played as both a left midfielder and left back for Die Eisern this season, and he’s currently the club’s top scorer with six goals to his name. While he can be exploited when stranding far up the pitch, he’s still a tireless worker that’s really good at arriving in the box. Especially Nico Schlotterbeck, who has been sorta shaky recently, will have to watch out for these runs (I trust Hummels much more in this regard).

Photo by Luciano Lima/Getty Images

Score Prediction:

I wanna feel optimistic, but Donyell Malen missing is making it really hard for me, as the team has been relying much on his individual brilliance lately. Der Alten Försterei is a brilliant stadium with amazing fans, and Union Berlin seems kinda on track. Meanwhile, BVB are absolutely floundering and are missing the key player in offense. I predict a very flat 1-1 draw for this game, but I hope I’m wrong!