The last time that Borussia Dortmund took to the pitch, it was a night to forget. Against Juventus, Die Schwarzgelben blew three separate leads, including a two-goal lead in stoppage time. Tomorrow, BVB will look to put that disastrous evening behind them with a win at home against Wolfsburg.
The big storyline for tomorrow will be whether long-time absentee Nico Schlotterbeck makes the Starting XI. Ever since he suffered a torn meniscus in April, Niko Kovac has had to come up with countless creative
ways to staple together a back line. Ramy Bensebaini has barely played his natural position in the ensuing time. Julian Ryerson has filled in as a center-back. Injuries to Niklas Süle and Emre Can have meant that Waldemar Anton has often been the only natural center-back on the pitch in black-and-yellow. Mercifully, according to Ruhr Nachrichten, Nico Schlotterbeck could finally return to the pitch tomorrow against Wolfsburg. The decision will be made today, so we will unfortunately have to wait to find out.
Meanwhile, Niko Kovac’s former club VFL Wolfsburg have gotten off to a decent start with five points from their first three games. It could have been even better if they hadn’t dropped two points to Cologne last week by conceding an equalizer in the 14th minute of stoppage time, in an ending that made Dortmund-Juve look tame by comparison:
Player to Watch: Mohamed Amoura
Although Wolfsburg had a mediocre season overall last year, Amoura was one of the better players in the entire Bundesliga last season, with 10 goals and 9 assists in 31 appearances, enough to finish tied for 10th in the entire league in combined goals and assists. His performance was enough to earn him interest from clubs in the Premier League and SL Benfica, but for now the Algerian is staying in Germany.
Predicted Lineup
In addition to Nico Schlotterbeck, Dortmund could receive reinforcements in defense with the return of Aaron Anselmino, who was kept out of the Heidenheim and Juventus games with a minor knock. This could hopefully push Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson back to their natural positions, while giving some rest to Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson, who have played every minute of every match so far in the season.
In midfield, Niko Kovac seems to prioritize Pascal Groß and/or Marcel Sabitzer over Jobe Bellingham, while Felix Nmecha is rapidly establishing himself as irreplaceable. Up top, Karim Adeyemi has continued to look dangerous. I’ve been less of a fan of Maximilian Beier’s performances, so I would like to see him dropped for Julian Brandt.
Prediction
While BVB were disappointing against Juventus, I fully expect a bounce-back performance tomorrow. Serhou Guirassy is red hot and if Nico Schlotterbeck returns he should really galvanize the squad. All that, plus it’s at home. I’m predicting a decisive win.
