Match Preview: Dortmund Aiming for a Win in Augsburg

Eden Terzic is under immense pressure to obtain the maximum six points from his team’s final two matches of the Hindrunde. Dortmund are winless in their previous four matches, having been eliminated from the German Cup in the process, and have recorded just one Bundesliga win in their last six. This poor run of form has seen the Black and Yellows slip into fifth-place, four-points adrift of Champion’s League qualification. Failure to obtain maximum points from the remaining two matches this month could see Dortmund drop out of European contention altogether, with Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Frankfurt all eagerly vying for the Europa and Conference League places.

Predicted Lineup

Edin Terzic knows his park-the-bus tactics are displeasing to the fans. I fully anticipate Dortmund to line up similarly as they did against PSG. I think Thomas Meunier will make a return since he played well last weekend. I also expect Emre Can to return from his UCL suspension, and Niklas Süle to retain his starting place after his strong performance against PSG. I believe Terzic will attempt a similar attacking style to the previous match, but it’s doubtful Adeyemi will start as he appeared to have pulled his hamstring late against PSG. While I think Gio Reyna would be the better choice on the wing, I think Terzic will give Malen the nod instead. Is this lineup okay? Would you rather see Wolf at wing-back? I probably got this wrong anyway.

Players to Watch: Ermedin Demirovic & Jeffrey Gouweleeuw

The Bosnia and Herzegovina National has been in fine form this season with seven goals and five assists in fourteen appearances for Augsburg. Most recently, he bagged two assists in Augsburg’s win over Frankfurt, two weekends ago. Meanwhile, centre-back Jeffrey Gouweleeuw will likely make life difficult for BVB’s attackers. The Dutch player has consistently won three out of every four tackles this season, and is an active defender and counter-attacking threat with regular clearances interceptions.

Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images

Prediction

Dortmund and Edin Terzic are under heavy pressure to perform away from home. While I think the tactical systems needs much work, the match against PSG showed that BVB is still capable of creative gegen-pressing football. If a similar style of play is used against Augsburg, then I think Dortmund will have the upper hand by dictating much more of the play, rather than sitting back to absorb pressure. Augsburg is a good team, but they don't have a Kylian Mbappe who can break through a defense at any moment. I think this will be a closely contested match that will finish in Dortmund’s favor, 2-1.

What are you thoughts on the state of Borussia Dortmund?