Our next opponents: BVB a force at home

Position

Dortmund collected three valuable points in the final game of 2024. The 3-1 victory at Wolfsburg lifted them up to sixth place - a defeat would've left them 11th. The players and management were relieved but also self-critical following the first away league win of the campaign. "We still have everything to play for, we're back," said sporting director Sebastian Kehl. The first half in particular panned out pretty much perfectly for the Black and Yellows, who dominated from the start and scored their three goals in the space of six minutes, with Donyell Malen, Maximilian Beier and Julian Brandt netting between the 25th and 30th minute. The visitors did have to dig in a bit in the final half-hour, though, after Denis Vavro's goal for Wolfsburg (58') and a red card for BVB midfielder Pascal Groß (62'). In the end, though, they held on for a deserved win, which brought them back within reach of the Champions League spots. "Even though it's only a two-point gap, it will be a feat to make it up," commented managing director Lars Ricken with a view to the rest of the season. After all, clubs such as Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Freiburg and Stuttgart are all hot on BVB's heels.

Borussia are now unbeaten in five Bundesliga games (W2, D3), although the two 1-1 draws at home against Hoffenheim and Gladbach were unsatisfactory from a Dortmund point of view. "We're definitely not yet where we see ourselves and where we have to be in the Bundesliga," said head coach Nuri Sahin in a video interview for the club's media at the end of the year. 

In the UEFA Champions League, on the other hand, his team have impressed so far and are well placed in ninth position. Just two points separate them and second-placed Barcelona, whom the Black and Yellows recently lost 3-2 at home in a thrilling encounter. Prior to that, Dortmund had claimed emphatic wins over Club Brugge (3-0), Celtic (7-1) and Dinamo Zagreb (3-0).

PersonNel

BVB have not been helped by regular absences of key players in the first half of this season. "Injuries just seem to be part of our season," said Sahin in December. "I'm slowly losing the confidence to ask." Centre-back Niklas Süle was the latest casualty in the 1-1 draw at Mönchengladbach a month ago. The 29-year-old will be out of action for a long time because of an injury to the syndesmosis ligament. However, a big defensive talent could step into the breach sooner or later: 19-year-old Italian Filippo Mané was recently rewarded for his outstanding performances for the U19 team last season with his first professional contract. He's yet to make his first-team debut, and the personnel situation has eased somewhat since then. Other than Süle, all the previously injured players reported fit for the start of the year. Sahin won't have a full squad to pick from for the match against the Werkself, though. Groß will definitely be absent too having been handed a two-match ban by the DFB for his red card at Wollfsburg, while Marcel Sabitzer, who was only able to train individually at the start of this week due to a knock, is still a doubt. It also remains to be seen whether Waldemar Anton and Almugera Kabar will be available – both have been absent from training this week because of illness.

Before kick-off on Friday night, BVB will commemorate long-time former goalkeeper Wolfgang "Teddy" de Beer, who died suddenly at the age of just 60 on 30 December. The club legend celebrated nine trophies with BVB as first- or second-choice goalkeeper and then goalkeeping coach.

ProblemS

The fact that BVB are below where they expect to be in the league by their own standards is undoubtedly related to the numerous injuries in the months of October, November and December. Süle, Anton, Julien Duranville, Karim Adeyemi and Giovanni Reyna were all sidelined for several weeks. At times, such as in the 1-0 defeat in the DFB Cup second round at Wolfsburg, they've had to call up as many as five players from the reserve team. On top of that, Borussia have often weakened themselves - four red cards shown this season is more than any other team.

However, their plight of injuries and suspensions "only tells part of the story", admitted Sahin. Dortmund's performances on the road this season are particularly subject to criticism. The Black and Yellows have picked up just five points in seven Bundesliga away outings, putting them 13th in the away table. Some of the losses have been heavy, such as the 5-1 drubbing at Stuttgart. Overall, there's been a lack of consistency in the performances. "It's a fact, we do have a results crisis, there's no avoiding that," said the former player. "We've had too many ups and downs. I expect from myself and my team that we perform more steadily. We have to do that as quickly as possible."

Performers

At home, in contrast, BVB have made Signal Iduna Park a fortress. They've yet to lose a league match there this season, registering six wins and two draws. With 20 points from eight games, Dortmund are top of the home table. Going back to last season, they're unbeaten in 11 matches on home turf. And another impressive record: the Black and Yellows have not lost their first Bundesliga fixture of a new calendar year since 2004 (W15, D5). Borussia are also unbeaten since 2004 in Friday home games (W30, D9) - both are current records in Bundesliga history.

The high-class squad is characterised by great assurance in possession and passing. In attack in particular, BVB are among the best teams in the league again this season. The top scorers are forwards Serhou Guirassy (six goals, three assists) and Jamie Gittens (five goals, three assists), but the likes of Beier, Malen and Adeyemi also provide plenty of goal threat.