Borussia Dortmund vs Wolfsburg preview: Can Rose's side handle the rejuvenated Wolves?
Both sides have the chance to claim back-to-back victories on Saturday, when Dortmund welcome Wolfsburg to Signal Iduna Park.
| Photo: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Borussia Dortmund
With nine points separating them from league leaders Bayern Munich, any hopes of lifting the Bundesliga title have evaporated for Dortmund. On the face of it, there may not be too much to play for, but Marco Rose will be challenging his team to finish the season on the front foot.
After being humbled by RB Leipzig, Rose’s side bounced back in their most recent outing, when they picked up a 2-0 victory away to Stuttgart thanks to Julian Brandt brace, which extended Dortmund’s unbeaten away run to seven league matches.
They will return to home surroundings on Saturday with the hosts looking to give their fans something to cheer about after losing 4-1 to Leipzig in their previous home encounter.
Rose will be concerned by the fact that his side have conceded more than four goals in three of their last five home games in all competitions.
Although, they have had no such problems at the other end of the pitch, with Dortmund currently the second-highest scorers in the league, while they are one of three teams to have scored in every Bundesliga home game this season.
Team News
The hosts will have to do without Raphael Guerreiro, who is unavailable due to a muscle injury, while Marco Rose has confirmed that Mats Hummels, Giovanni Reyna, Donyell Malen and Mahmoud Dahoud will all miss out.
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg entered last weekend’s contest with Arminia Bielefeld in a downbeat mood after losing three consecutive matches without finding the net in any of those fixtures. However, by the 53rd minute the feelings of disappointment and concern had turned to pure delight. Lukas Nmecha was at the double in the first half to give Wolfsburg a two-goal lead at the break before Die Wölfe flew out the traps in the second half, with Maximilian Arnold and Max Kruse netting to wrap up a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
As a result of the important win over Bielefeld, Florian Kohfeldt’s side enjoy an eight-point cushion over the bottom three, and with just five matches left to play, Wolfsburg’s place in the Bundesliga looks all but secure.
They may be in relative safety in 13th place, but Wolfsburg will be looking to alleviate any lingering relegation fears with a win on Saturday. Although the chances of such a result taking place at Signal Iduna Park may be slim, as Die Wölfe have won just one of their last nine Bundesliga away games.
Team News
If Wolfsburg are to win on Saturday then they will have to do it without Luca Waldschmidt, who is expected to miss the rest of the season due to an ankle injury. Meanwhile, Kohfeldt is set to name an unchanged lineup following the impressive display against Bielefeld last weekend.