Borussia Dortmund vs Freiburg preview: BVB look to avoid further slip ups

Borussia Dortmund, trailing in the title race, will focus on maintaining a close connection to the Champions League qualification spots as they host Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday in their 11th Bundesliga match of the season.

Borussia Dortmund

Nuri Sahin’s Borussia Dortmund find themselves just one point and three spots adrift of fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who currently hold the Bundesliga’s final Champions League qualification position. However, they are a daunting 10 points behind league leaders Bayern München.

The Dortmund manager has faced mounting scrutiny following a string of disappointing performances, the latest being a poor showing against Mainz. In that game, Dortmund allowed six major chances while creating just one of their own.

Statistically, Dortmund have scored and conceded 18 goals this season, ranking them as the Bundesliga’s sixth-best attack but tied for the seventh-worst defence.

Recent results paint a grim picture, with Sahin’s side losing four of their last six matches and managing only three wins in their previous seven league games.

Nevertheless, their home form remains a beacon of hope. Dortmund have won all seven of their games at Signal Iduna Park in the 2024-25 campaign and have triumphed in 11 of their last 12 home fixtures.

Team News

Dortmund’s injury woes seem to have somewhat subsided, though they will still be without centre-back Niklas Süle until early next month. In his absence, manager Nuri Sahin could opt to pair Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck in central defence.

Midfielders Emre Can and Kjell Watjen will also miss the match due to suspension and injury, respectively. While Watjen is expected to be sidelined for only a few more days, BVB may look to deploy Felix Nmecha and Pascal Groß in a double pivot.

Karim Adeyemi is on the verge of returning from a hamstring injury, though he is not anticipated to start ahead of forwards Maximilian Beier and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

Freiburg

The visitors, Freiburg, will likely rue their missed opportunity to claim victory against Union Berlin, particularly after Vincenzo Grifo squandered a penalty in the 21st minute that could have put his team ahead.

Freiburg’s defensive record has been impressive this season, with just 11 goals conceded—making them the fourth-strongest defence in the Bundesliga, trailing only Bayern München, RB Leipzig, and Union Berlin.

Schuster’s squad comes into this clash on the back of a three-game unbeaten streak, featuring two draws and one win, and they have claimed victory in two of their three games before that.

However, their away form has been inconsistent. Freiburg have failed to win their last two matches on the road and have managed just two wins, one draw, and two losses in their previous five away fixtures.

Team News

Freiburg have fewer injury concerns in comparison with the hosts. However, midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and winger Eren Dinkci are both out until January 2025.

Julian Schuster may choose to field a double pivot of Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage in midfield, playing in front of centre-backs Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart.

In attack, Ritsu Doan, Lucas Höler, and Vincenzo Grifo are all options to start behind striker Junior Adamu.