Borussia Dortmund will hope to bounce back from defeat in their last match when they host newly-promoted St Pauli at Signal Iduna Park on Friday in their seventh Bundesliga game of the 2024-25 season.
Nuri Sahin's BVB are seventh in the table with 10 points and lost 2-1 against Union Berlin in their most recent league match on October 5, while the visitors are fourth last in 15th place with just four points after six matchweeks.
Match preview
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Dortmund started the season well under new boss Sahin, who oversaw four wins in his first five fixtures.
However, the hosts have since lost two of their last four, including a humiliating 5-1 defeat against Stuttgart on September 22.
Though BVB won the two games immediately following their loss against Stuttgart, including defeating Celtic 7-1 in the Champions League on October 1, they succumbed to Union Berlin in their last match.
Sahin lamented his side's first-half showing, saying that his players gifted their opponents dominance and defended poorly.
The result means that Dortmund have now lost two, drawn one and won just two of their last five Bundesliga matches and have conceded 11 goals and scored 10 times in that period.
Sahin's side still boast an impressive home record given they have won eight of their last nine matches at Signal Iduna Park, scoring 32 times and conceding on nine occasions.
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As for the visitors, they come into the clash level on points with 16th-placed Hoffenheim, who occupy the division's relegation playoff spot.
St Pauli lost 3-0 last time out against Mainz on October 5, a game in which they had 19 shots but created no big chances and conceded three big chances despite only facing eight shots.
Boss Alexander Blessin might have thought that his team had finally found their feet in the top flight after they drew 0-0 against RB Leipzig and beat Freiburg 3-0 in their fourth and fifth Bundesliga games, but their defeat last time out was the fourth loss of their league campaign so far.
Blessin will no doubt be concerned that St Pauli have scored just four times this season, the fewest of the 18 teams in the Bundesliga.
St Pauli began their league season with three consecutive defeats, scoring just once in a 3-1 loss against Augsburg, and have conceded six of their nine goals in the second half of matches.
The away team have lost two of their three fixtures on the road in the Bundesliga this term, and they also lost 11 of their 17 away games the last time they were in the top flight in 2010-11.
Team News
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Dortmund will be without Yan Couto, Julien Duranville and Giovanni Reyna until early November, while forward Karim Adeyemi is not scheduled to return until late November.
Sahin also has doubts about the availability of defender Niklas Sule, as well as attacker Maximilian Beier.
Waldemar Anton is likely to partner Nico Schlotterbeck in defence, while Pascal Gross and Marcel Sabitzer may feature in a double pivot in midfield.
Meanwhile, St Pauli have numerous injury absentees, including goalkeepers Soren Ahlers, Sascha Burchert and Ben Alexander Voll, who is still recovering from a broken jaw.
Winger Elias Saad and striker Simon Zoller are both expected to miss out, and Blessin could name Vasilj Oladapo Afolayan, Johannes Eggestein and Morgan Guilavogui in a front three as a result.
Elsewhere, Hauke Wahl, Eric Smith and Karol Mets may be chosen to form a back three behind a double pivot of Jackson Irvine and Robert Wagner.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Malen, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
St Pauli possible starting lineup:
Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Irvine, Wagner, Ritzka; Afolayan, Eggestein, Guilavogui
We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 St Pauli
Although Borussia Dortmund have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, it is difficult to see them losing given the poor offensive record of the visitors.
It would also be surprising if St Pauli managed to avoid defeat considering the strong home form of their hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
