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Another matchday has passed for Borussia Dortmund, with the Black and Yellows taking all three points against SC Freiburg. While the final result was 4-2 in favor of Edin Terzi and his team, it does nothing to provide a realistic picture of what happened at the Stade Europa-Park.
This game has two very different takeaways. On the one hand, Borussia Dortmund managed to take all three points away from home against a strong opponent; Freiburg have been far from slouches under Christian Streich's supervision. They have been known to pose issues for numerous Bundesliga teams, including Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund faces a critical challenge this weekend in the Bundesliga, aiming to regain their footing as they go up against the red-hot Wolfsburg side. It's a pivotal moment for Borussia Dortmund, as they seek to steer their season back on course, and their encounter with Wolfsburg on Saturday takes on immense significance.
Following a dismal performance in their recent match against Paris Saint-Germain, the pressure on Borussia Dortmund's 40-year-old manager, Edin Terzic, has intensified. The team's inability to secure a victory on Saturday would only add to the mounting scrutiny.
Unfortunately for Borussia Dortmund, they will have to contend with the absence of Marcel Sabitzer due to a muscle injury sustained against PSG. This setback could open the door for Felix Nmecha, who has the opportunity to step into the starting lineup against his former club. Nmecha will be eager to redeem himself following a lackluster display in the PSG game.
Manager Terzic is also expected to alter his tactics by shifting to a back four formation, with Niclas Füllkrug likely taking the lead role up front. Additionally, the performances of substitutes Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Marco Reus in the PSG match have put them in contention for featuring in the game against Wolfsburg.
On the other side, Niko Kovac's Wolfsburg has enjoyed a splendid start to the season, boasting four wins in their first five matches. Wolfsburg's recent victory over Union Berlin showcased their form, with Jonas Wind, the Danish striker, continuing his impressive goal-scoring streak with six goals already this season. Wind poses a considerable threat to Borussia Dortmund's defense this Saturday.
Another player Dortmund must closely monitor is Joakim Mæhle, the right-back for Wolfsburg, who frequently joins the attack and notably scored the winning goal against Union Berlin in their last outing. His offensive prowess could pose a challenge for Borussia Dortmund's defensive line in the upcoming fixture.
Borussia Dortmund will be looking for a better result after losing 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last time out.
In that game, Borussia Dortmund had 32% possession and 14 shots on goal, one of which was on target. Paris Saint-Germain had 17 shots on goal, three of which were on target. Paris Saint-Germain scored with Kylian Mbappé (49') and Achraf Hakimi (58').
Matches involving Borussia Dortmund have recently proven to be entertaining affairs, with high scoring the norm. In their last six meetings, both teams have scored 24 goals (at an average of four goals per game), with Borussia Dortmund scoring 16 of them.
VfL Wolfsburg comes into the game with a 2-1 Bundesliga 1 win against Union Berlin in their most recent appearance.
VfL Wolfsburg had 43% possession and 8 shots on goal, three of which were on target. Jonas Wind (12') and Joakim Maehle (30') scored for VfL Wolfsburg. Union Berlin, on the other hand, had 19 shots on goal, 6 of which were on target. Union Berlin's goal came from Robin Gosens (28').
Three or more goals have been scored in five of the past six VfL Wolfsburg games. The average number of goals scored each game throughout that period is 3.5, whereas VfL Wolfsburg averages 2.33.
A examination of their most recent head-to-head meetings, dating back to 03/01/2021, reveals that Borussia Dortmund has won 5 and VfL Wolfsburg has won 1, with 0 drawn.There were 23 goals scored in those games, for an average of 3.83 goals per match.
The previous league meeting between these two teams occurred on Bundesliga 1 match day 31 on 07/05/2023, with Borussia Dortmund defeating VfL Wolfsburg 6-0.
Borussia Dortmund had 57% possession and 20 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target in that encounter. Karim Adeyemi (14', 59'), Sébastien Haller (28'), Donyell Malen (37'), and Jude Bellingham (54', 86') scored.
If Dortmund's earlier performances against Bochum and Heidenheim had gone differently, we might not be looking at this outcome so positively. The reality is that Dortmund, on the other hand, once again put themselves in a position from which they needed to fight back. Dortmund opened the game well in that they were doing their best to match Freiburg's physicality and enthusiasm on the field, taking their opponents seriously and controlling the game. However, after Hummels' goal, Freiburg were entirely brought back into the game, and Dortmund seemed to take a step back, almost as if they had forgotten how they had been playing just seconds before.
It's typical for Dortmund to take their foot off the gas once they've built a lead, and with Freiburg's increased tempo of urgency after the initial goal, Dortmund's hold on the game became almost completely slack.The Freiburg goals, as previously said, were the consequence of two extremely well executed instances of play by Vincenzo Grifo, but the chances themselves were handed to Freiburg on a silver platter. For example, a foul outside the box committed by Karim Adeyemi was enough for Grifo to step up and capitalize on for the second goal.
He was able to properly maneuver the ball into the area, and Nicolas Höfler headed it past Gregor Kobel. Other infractions during the game, such as Marius Wolf's tackle on the edge of the penalty area, provided Freiburg with additional chances to extend their lead. The fouls itself demonstrated a lack of concentration on both players' sides, putting their teammates in hot water. Then there's the real way the aims were addressed. The first was a very good open-play ball into the box that took a bounce and got past Kobel and his defenders.
In this instance, there wasn't enough pressure on Lucas Höler, but the way the ball got into the net is acceptable, at least from Kobel's perspective; it would have been difficult to keep it out the way it was moving. However, aside from the foul, the second goal is significantly more defendable. Again, Höfler is not under enough pressure in this circumstance, as he is able to connect with the ball despite being sandwiched between two Dortmund defenders. In this case, Sebastien Haller's defensive commitment would have been required to put Höfler off.
Aside from defense, Mats Hummels mentioned a vital component of the game, emphasizing Dortmund's lack of dominance in midfield as something the squad needs to concentrate on and improve. Hummels stated that Dortmund has struggled to break down opponent pressuring, which was evident against Freiburg, who played a hard game. After surrendering the first goal, Freiburg increased their tempo and attacked Dortmund, particularly in midfield. Forcing turnovers resulted in a flood of chances for which Dortmund had no replies. According to Hummels, it is a long-standing issue that requires ongoing attention if the club is to control games and "make the next step."
Dortmund will try to build on this victory this week when they face PSG in the Champions League. Dortmund has been assigned to the aptly called "group of death" this season, and there will be no easy spots along the route. It will be another away game, but despite the talent PSG was able to acquire this summer in their search of squad enhancement, they, like Dortmund, have had a more difficult than expected start to their domestic campaign. If they can avoid defeats against Toulouse and Lorient, as well as their most recent loss to Nice, they could be a good opponent for Dortmund.
