Paderborn vs. Borussia Dortmund: How BvB Should Line Up in Bundesliga Game

Borussia Dortmund return to Bundesliga action this weekend with an away trip to Paderborn and a fantastic chance to extend their winning streak to two games. 

The recently promoted side have enjoyed an excellent start to the season and actually sit above Dortmund by five points—a stat that Jurgen Klopp was happy to point out. 

Speaking through the week, as reported by the club website on November 21, the manager tried his hand at a few mind games: “Looking at the table, we will not go into this game as favourites. I have the highest respect for everything that is happening over there. We know it’s going to be a tough match, but we also know what opportunity this game presents for us.”

Here’s how the black and yellows are likely to set up on Saturday. 

Defence

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Dortmund should welcome back Lukasz Piszczek after the Polish full-back opted to sit out his national team’s friendly earlier in the week. 

The right-back has been in excellent form this season and should join German international Erik Durm on either wing in the Dortmund defence. 

Where Klopp’s defence will differ from usual will be in the centre of defence, with Mats Hummels out injured and Sokratis Papastathopoulos missing after picking up a suspension. This will now likely lead to an unlikely start for Matthias Ginter alongside experienced defender Neven Subotic. 

Roman Weidenfeller is expected to keep his shot-stopper role between the Dortmund posts. 

Midfield

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In midfield, Dortmund should look a little more familiar, with Sebastian Kehl and Sven Bender looking to partner up once again against Paderborn. 

The two defensive midfielders have looked strong of late, a luxury Klopp had no such luck with earlier in the season. They should prove vital to whatever performance we see from his side on Saturday. 

The club should also welcome back Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the attacking midfield role, after the Armenian international enjoyed two strong games for his national side throughout the week. 

Without picking up any injuries, the pacy midfield should be fighting fit and ready to have a shot at their Bundesliga opponents. 

Attack

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“Marco looks fit to play.” That was the standalone message from Klopp when he addressed the media this week, as reported by the club website on November 20, stating that Marco Reus would in fact be fit and ready to play against Paderborn. 

The attacking midfielder has been exceptional for Dortmund when not injured and should prove vital if he does indeed start. 

Elsewhere, Klopp is likely to stick with Shinji Kagawa as the complementary attacking midfielder alongside Reus as both look to play off whomever the manager hopes to play upfront. 

That striker is likely to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been Klopp’s first choice for large majorities of the season. Although the coach has both Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos on the bench, the Gabon international should get the nod on Saturday.