Match Preview: BVB Host HSV Under Saturday Night Floodlights
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Die Schwarzgelben will close out the month of March against Hamburg before dispersing into their national teams and putting the final touches on their individual World Cup preparations. After taking care of business against Augsburg last weekend, they face a similar midtable adversary in die Raute (Rhombus).
Between the persistent Jadon Sancho tinnitus in everyone’s ears and absurd Guirassy for Vuskovic swap rumors, Dortmund have to focus and do their homework for Saturday night’s Topspiel.
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“The Venice of the North” rescued a late draw against BVB in November and has also been one of the five sides to take points off of Bayern this season. They’ve done well up until now, but a couple of poor results could see them fall into another relegation battle in the blink of an eye.
Player to Watch: Fabio Vieira
When we talk about “irreplaceable” for die Rothosen this season, look no further than the two North London loanees: Luka Vuskovic (Spurs) and Fabio Vieira (Arsenal), two players who the Hamburg fans may have unfortunately made the mistake of falling in love with, as it will prove very financially challenging to keep hold of them beyond this season (us folks in Dortmund know the feeling).
Looking at the FC Porto product, Vieira can pull the strings from the right and central midfield areas. He’s the team’s joint top scorer (5) and assister (4) while boasting an average rating of 7.10 (Fotmob). The 25-year-old is a technical treat on the ball, and Hamburg/Bundesliga fans can only hope that a further deal is struck with the Gunners this summer.
Predicted Lineup
Seeing that Kovac and his men have had another full week of rest with no other competitions to play for, I don’t think much rotation will be necessary. Emre Can (ACL) and Filippo Mané (muscle injury) won’t be available. Daniel Svensson, who had his left ankle wrapped versus Augsburg, should be fit for this weekend.
The two-striker variation worked well against Augsburg’s backline, and I can imagine something similar being deployed versus Hamburg. Could BVB’s newest prospect, turned professional, expect another start? Not to forget, Julian Brandt could make his 300th appearance for the club.
Match Prediction
I know it’s naive of me, I know. But I’m actually feeling confident ahead of this fixture. What’s that? You think I shouldn’t have said that? Oh no, what have I done?!
It’s just that Dortmund haven’t fallen to the “Dino” in over a decade, November 20th 2015, to be exact (ignore the fact that Hamburg were nowhere to be seen in the Bundesliga for about seven of those years). In addition, BVB ranks second at home, while Hamburg has only collected 10 points away from home (13th). I can envision another shutout…
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Hamburger SV