With their Pokal hopes coming to an unceremonious end earlier this week, Borussia Dortmund now have to redefine their definition of success for this season, which is very likely not to include winning a trophy. Even with Maxi Beier declaring that they want to become champions
(so do we, Maxi, so do we), with Bayern playing the way they are, it’s simply put “a race for second place” until someone can actually beat them.It’s Matchday 13, and six teams are legitimately gunning for that vice-champion
spot. One of them is the TSG out of Hoffenheim. Revamped under coach Christian Ilzer, who was appointed from Sturm Graz in November of last year, Die Kraichgauer have quietly become one of the best teams in the league after staring down the barrel of relegation only a season ago. They have won five of their last six league matches, with their last defeat dating back to October 3rd against Köln. By the way, here are the teams that remain undefeated away from home this campaign: Bayern and Hoffenheim. That’s it.
Hoffenheim have not looked this strong since the Nagelsmann Era. Will Dortmund be able to stunt this Sinsheim ascension? As always with this club, it’s reasonable to have your doubts…
Player to Watch: Wouter Burger
Fisnik Asllani, Bazoumana Toure, and Tim Lemperle are all awesome, but man, that Burger fella, what a player he is! (The delightful worldplay that name provides has probably already been utilized, so I’ll restrain myself.) The Dutch 24-year-old defensive midfielder joined Ilzer’s group from Stoke City and is proving to be one of the signings of the summer. On top of his non-stop motor, his three goals and five assists in 13 games (all competitions) make his 4 million euro transfer fee look even more worthwhile. The Rotterdam native would be a welcome addition to any midfield in the Bundesliga.
Ilzer was quoted after their 3:0 win over Augsburg, saying: “He has taken on an extremely important role within the group. He’s simply a superb team player. (…) He’s developing an increasingly better understanding of his teammates”.
Predicted Lineup:
Niklas Süle resumed training with the squad today after being sidelined due to a toe injury, but he will not be active on Sunday. With that, everyone else should be available.
I assume Kovac’s XI will remain largely unchanged from the Pokal game. While that match was far from an offensive masterclass, Dortmund were the better team for the overwhelming majority of it and created enough chances to put them through, in my opinion.
In an attempt to add some verticality to the offense, I would not be opposed to starting Silva and Guirassy together. Silva has been an invigorating element from the bench this season and possesses the technical ability to play out wide. The tandem of #21 and #9 is one we haven’t seen much of, and I think it’s worth a shot.
Aaron Anselmino could also very easily start again. After a Man of the Match shift in Leverkusen, he was rested for the Pokal fixture that followed.
Match Prediction:
I would love to see a reaction to the Pokal loss. I want to see a bit of anger in our approach on Sunday. In other words, I would like to see the energy on the pitch match the energy that courses through the stands every other week.
If not, I don’t see BVB picking up more than a point here.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
