Hamburger SV vs. Borussia Dortmund: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Hamburger SV host Borussia Dortmund in the Volksparkstadion on Matchday 13 of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season on Friday.
Former Bayern Munich player Bruno Labbadia, who is in his second spell in charge of Hamburg, guided the team away from the threat of automatic relegation last season as they took 10 points from their last six games after he took over.
A free-kick from Chile international Marcelo Diaz in stoppage time of the return leg against Karlsruher SC in the relegation play-off saved the club from their first-ever demotion to the second tier, as Nicolai Muller scored the 2-1 winner in extra time.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
This season, Hamburg look to be more stable than in previous years. A true mid-table side, they currently hold 11th spot in the Bundesliga table with 15 points, five points off fourth-placed Hertha Berlin and five points ahead of 16th-placed Stuttgart. However, Hamburg have won only one game since September and are in danger of sliding back into the danger zone.
Friday's visitors, meanwhile, were the hottest team in the league before the November international break, winning their last four Bundesliga contests by a combined scoreline of 13-4. Dortmund are playing their second-best season of all time under head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Heavy favourites on paper, the Black and Yellows will have to buck the trend on Friday evening. Hamburg have become a bit of a bogey team for Dortmund, as the visitors have won only once at the Volksparkstadion in the last nine years. Friday's hosts have kept a clean sheet in the last three meetings.
Last season, Hamburg won 1-0 at Dortmund and held their opponents to a goalless draw at home.
Date: Friday, November 20
Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. local time
Venue: Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
TV Info: BT Sport 1 (U.K. only)/FS 2 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K. only)/Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Hamburg | Dortmund |
| Berlin: Loss (0-3) | Augsburg: Win (5-1) |
| Leverkusen: Draw (0-0) | Paderborn: Win (7-1) |
| Hoffenheim: Win (1-0) | Bremen: Win (3-1) |
| Hannover: Loss (1-2) | Qabala: Win (4-0) |
| Darmstadt: Draw (1-1) | Schalke: Win (3-2) |
Predicted Lineups
Hamburg
Adler; Sakai, Djourou, Spahic, Ostrzolek; Jung, Kacar, Holtby; Muller, Gregoritsch; Lasogga.
Regular starters Dennis Diekmeier, Albin Ekdal and Aaron Hunt will miss the game with injuries.
Gotoku Sakai should replace Diekmeier at right-back, while Hamburg's central midfield will have a different look with Ekdal and Hunt both absent.
Diaz will only return to Hamburg from international duty with Chile on Thursday, which makes his inclusion in the squad unlikely, according to German magazine Kicker.
Gojko Kacar, meanwhile, only returned to team training this week after overcoming a herniated disc. If he isn't available, Labbadia would likely be forced to play a more attacking selection than he would prefer against opposition as strong as Dortmund.
Dortmund
Burki; Ginter, Papastathopoulos, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl; Reus, Gundogan, Kagawa, Mkhitaryan; Aubameyang.
Marco Reus is set to return to the Dortmund team after suffering a torn muscle fibre in the UEFA Europa League match against FK Qabala. Shinji Kagawa accumulated the most air miles during the international break, but the Japan international is expected to be available.
With the entire first-choice XI at the disposal, it would be surprising to see Tuchel tinker with the lineup.
Players to Watch
Hamburg have scored only 11 goals in 12 games this season. With Dortmund's prolific offense on the other side of the pitch, the hosts need someone to step up. Michael Gregoritsch has scored two of those 11 goals, one of which was enough to claim three points against FC Ingolstadt on Matchday 6 in September.
The 21-year-old scored a brace for Austria's under-21s in the 4-2 defeat in the European Championship qualifiers against Germany on Tuesday. Hamburg's No. 23 impressed against the Black and Yellows while playing for Vfl Bochum in a pre-season friendly before his €3 million move to northern Germany.
As for Dortmund, most eyes will rest on Reus. The 26-year-old struggled in the first games coming back from a previous injury this season, which had some supporters worried about his apparent lack of form.
Reus missed only one match this time and should be ready to pick up where he left off: He scored five goals in his last three Bundesliga matches.
Key Battle: Hamburg's Defensive Block vs. Dortmund's Attack
With Hamburg struggling to score goals, chances are they won't be able to keep up with Dortmund's prolific attack offensively.
Labbadia will look to leave possession to the visitors and stifle them with a block of three defensive-minded midfielders helping out the back four.
Dortmund will have to remain patient in buildup and look for openings in the hosts' defence.
Placing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up against experienced centre-back Emir Spahic would be a good idea for the visitors.
The Bosnian, 35, is too slow to cover the Dortmund striker and known to be a loose cannon, having been sent off four times in his 59 Bundesliga games with Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg, according to Transfermarkt.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Hamburg: 83-10
Draw: 189-50
Dortmund: 5-14
Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
