Bundesliga basement club SV Darmstadt 98 welcome Borussia Dortmund to Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor for their first top-flight fixture of 2024 on Saturday evening.
While the hosts last tasted success at the beginning of October, the visitors have failed to win each of their last four league matches.
Match preview
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Darmstadt have had little to celebrate in recent months as they have failed to win any of their last 10 Bundesliga matches, although they managed to salvage a valuable point in a 3-3 draw at Hoffenheim in their final game of 2023.
The Lilies have picked up just 10 points from their first 16 fixtures – only in 2016-17 have they accumulated fewer points (eight) at this stage of a top-flight campaign – and they sit level on points with Koln and Mainz 05 in the relegation zone, but they are only three points adrift of safety.
Torsten Lieberknecht's men began 2024 in disappointing fashion as they suffered a 2-1 friendly defeat at home against second-tier side Holstein Kiel last weekend, with the Darmstadt boss admitting after the match that he 'noticed the failures' of his side, particularly in the final third after missing a plethora of chances.
Darmstadt must rectify those issues quickly if they are to have any chance of claiming points in a challenging run of fixtures against Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen as they attempt to boost their hopes of survival heading into the second half of the season.
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While Darmstadt are struggling at the wrong end of the table, Borussia Dortmund have slipped out of contention for the Bundesliga title after winning just one of their last eight league matches, including a four-game winless run in December.
Points were dropped in back-to-back 1-1 draws with bottom-half duo Augsburg and Mainz at the end of 2023, with BVB slipping down to fifth place in the Bundesliga table, 15 points behind leaders Leverkusen and six adrift of RB Leipzig in fourth.
There is an element of pressure beginning to mount on head coach Edin Terzic, who has since watched his side play out 2-2 and 3-3 friendly draws with AZ Alkmaar and Standard Liege respectively, with Dortmund forced to come from behind to avoid defeat in both matches.
Dortmund can ill-afford to drop points in their next two matches against the Bundesliga's bottom two teams Darmstadt and Koln if they wish to climb back into the top four, but success against the former on Saturday is not guaranteed.
Indeed, BVB have not won away from home in the top flight since September, while they were beaten 2-1 in their last visit to Darmstadt in February 2017, although that is their only defeat in their previous 17 encounters with a team sitting bottom of the table.
Team News
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Darmstadt will be without injured quartet Fraser Hornby, Braydon Manu (both ankle), Marvin Mehlem (broken leg) and Aaron Seydel (calf), while Fabian Nurnberger, Christoph Zimmermann (both ankle) and Mathias Honsak (illness) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Captain Fabian Holland missed the final two games of 2023 due to illness, but the midfielder is in contention to be recalled to the starting lineup on Saturday and could link arms with Bartol Franjic in the middle of the pitch.
Tim Skarke has scored a team-high six goals so far this season, including three in his last three, and he is set to be supported in attack by Luca Pfeiffer, with Tobias Kempe operating in the number 10 role.
As for Borussia Dortmund, Karim Adeyemi (ankle), Felix Nmecha (hip) and Julian Ryerson (knee) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Algerian Ramy Bensebaini and Ivorian Sebastien Haller are both away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
BVB have completed the loan signings of both Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen from Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, and both players could be in contention to make their debuts on Saturday, although it remains to be seen whether they will be thrown straight into the first XI.
Marius Wolf missed the friendly draw with Standard Liege on Tuesday due to illness and is a doubt for Saturday, so Thomas Meunier could continue at right-back, while Niclas Fullkrug will be pushing to start as the central striker at the expense of teenager Youssoufa Moukoko.
SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:
Schuhen; Klarer, Gjasula, Isherwood; Riedel, Franjic, Holland, Karic; Kempe; Pfeiffer, Skarke
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Meunier, Sule, Hummels, Schlotterbeck; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Malen, Fullkrug, Bynoe-Gittens
We say: SV Darmstadt 98 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
Returning to winning ways is high on the agenda for these two out-of-form teams, but Dortmund will be regarded as the favourites to come out on top on Saturday and they should ultimately have too much for a defensively-frail Darmstadt side, who have already conceded a league-high 41 goals so far this season.
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