Hoffenheim-Borussia Dortmund is a Bundesliga match of the sixth day and is played on Friday at 20:30: TV, formations, predictions
A muted start for Borussia Dortmund, but in some ways not so hard to predict after last season’s chilling denouement. The Gialloneri saw the title slip through their fingers on the final day when it looked like everything was ready to party.
Normally it wasn’t an easy start for Reus and his team-mates: in the first three days, in fact, in addition to the narrow victory with Cologne came two draws with the ‘small’ Bochum and Heidenheim, which for the moment don’t allow Edin Terzic’s team to keep up with the top of the class, the usual Bayern Munich and the surprising Bayer Leverkusen. The standings, however, remain very short: Borussia Dortmund are sixth but only two points behind the Bavarians and Aspirins. Last weekend, meanwhile, came another success after the one in Freiburg: This time it was Wolfsburg who surrendered to the yellow-and-whites. There was no festival of goals as in the city of the Black Forest: it was captain Reus who castigated the green-and-whites (1-0) in a match in which the guests created little or nothing. A good test now looms in the away match in Sinsheim against Hoffenheim, completely regenerated by the Matarazzo cure.
The American coach of Italian origin, who took over last February and was the author of a salvation that was anything but a foregone conclusion, seems to have found a way to make the white-blue team ‘turn around’.
Kramaric celebrated by teammates
Since the opening defeat against Freiburg, Hoffenheim have not only not lost a game but won them all. Emblematic of Hoffenheim’s form is the last day’s victory against Union Berlin (0-2), who were already two goals down after just 40 minutes of play: first the penalty converted by Kramaric – the Croatian national team player’s third goal of the season – and then the seal of approval from striker Beier, a 2002 year old who finally seems to be blossoming.
The Prediction
Distracted by the imminent (already crucial) challenge with AC Milan in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund could see their winning streak come to an end at home to a Hoffenheim side that is really shining, led by a Kramaric in great form. It is likely to be a balanced match, with both teams scoring.
The likely line-up for Hoffenheim-Borussia Dortmund
- HOFFENHEIM (3-4-1-2): Baumann; Kabak, Brooks, Vogt; Kadeřábek, Prömel, Stach, Skov; Kramarić; Weghorst, Beier.
- BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Emre Can; Malen, Reus, Brandt; Füllkrug.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
