Borussia Dortmund vs. Frankfurt: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Borussia Dortmund host Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 16 of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season on Sunday.
It's a game with two teams going in different directions: Dortmund have lost only two league games all season and are sitting second in the table, a comfortable nine points ahead of third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, while the visitors have only won once since mid-September and consequently slipped into the danger zone, hovering just two points ahead of Stuttgart in the first relegation spot.
The Black and Yellows lost during the week, 1-0, to PAOK in the UEFA Europa League in a contest that was ultimately meaningless. Since they got to rest a few key players, such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Marcel Schmelzer, the effects of a midweek fixture shouldn't play a big role for the hosts.
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Frankfurt, meanwhile, will look to make amends for losses in consecutive derbies against Mainz and Darmstadt but will find that a tall task against Dortmund, as they will not only have to buck the trend of recent weeks, but the Hessians haven't won in Signal Iduna Park since 2010.
Last season, the Black and Yellows comfortably won the home fixture against Frankfurt, 2-0.
Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 4.30 p.m. GMT/11.30 a.m. ET/5.30 p.m. local time
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK only)/FS2 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BT Sport live streaming (UK only)/Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Dortmund | Frankfurt |
| Hamburg: Loss (3-1) | Munich: Draw (0-0) |
| Krasnodar: Loss (1-0) | Hoffenheim: Draw (0-0) |
| Stuttgart: Win (4-1) | Leverkusen: Loss (3-1) |
| Wolfsburg: Win (2-1) | Mainz: Loss (2-1) |
| PAOK: Loss (1-0) | Darmstadt: Loss (1-0) |
Predicted Lineups
Dortmund
Burki; Ginter, Bender, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Weigl, Kagawa; Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, Reus.
Ilkay Gundogan returns after missing the game against PAOK with a bruised pelvis, which means head coach Thomas Tuchel has almost the entire squad at his disposal. Only long-time absentees Erik Durm and Nuri Sahin are still out with injury.
The biggest question: Who will play next to captain Mats Hummels in central defence? Neven Subotic got his second consecutive start in midweek, but he seems like the least likely option to fill that spot against Frankfurt. Tuchel will probably decide between Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sven Bender. We made the case for Bender after his impressive performances in recent weeks.
Elsewhere, Gonzalo Castro has earned the right to start his third league game on the spin, but it's tough to find a spot for him.
Frankfurt
Hradecky; Ignjovski, Kinsombi, Abraham, Oczipka; Hasebe, Medojevic; Aigner, Meier, Djakpa; Seferovic.
Whereas Tuchel can pick from an embarrassment of riches, Armin Veh has to make do without a number of key players. His players added insult to injury against Darmstadt, as no fewer than three of them picked up their fifth bookings of the season in the 1-0 defeat.
Frankfurt will be without Carlos Zambrano, their leader in defence, Marc Stendera, their most creative midfielder and Marco Russ, who probably would have replaced Zambrano at centre-half.
With Bamba Anderson injured and Stefan Reinartz likely out, according to Veh in his press conference before the game, via the club's Twitter feed, 20-year-old David Kinsombi is set to start his first game all season in the heart of defence—after playing a grand total of one minute this season so far.
Striker Haris Seferovic, suffering from slight muscle problems, will have to pass a fitness test before the game, according to German tabloid Bild. Since Luc Castaignos is injured already, he would either be replaced by Vaclav Kadlec or Alexander Meier would move up front. Last season's leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga returns from a suspension.
Players to Watch
Dortmund forward Aubameyang has gone goalless for two games in a row for the first time all season. Granted, he only entered the game against PAOK as a substitute after 66 minutes, but he'll still look to get back on track on Sunday.
The form player of the Bundesliga this season, Aubameyang leads the race for this season's European Golden Shoe, as B/R's Tom Sunderland recently reported. Against Frankfurt, he'll look to add to his impressive tally of 17 goals in 15 Bundesliga matches. Considering the visitors' problems in central defence, you wouldn't bet against him notching.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, will probably need goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky to have a flawless evening if the Hessians are to take anything with them from their trip to Westphalia. The Finland international excelled in his side's recent loss against Mainz with a performance that earned him the distinction of man of the match by German magazine Kicker.
He's also the only 'keeper to have kept a clean sheet against Bayern Munich in the league all season, although it has to be said he was lucky not to give away a penalty in that game. Still, Bleacher Report's Michael Cummings called him a winner of that evening back in October.
Key Battle
Can Dortmund Crack Frankfurt's Defence?
Veh will in all likelihood unwrap the same game plan he used in the goalless draw with Bayern on Oct. 30. Per Cummings, Frankfurt "frustrated their illustrious visitors with disciplined, organized defending. To a man, the Eagles took their defensive responsibilities seriously, limiting Bayern's space as well as can be expected."
The Hessians will again field a very defensive selection and defend with five at the back for the majority of the game. Dortmund struggled with that in their loss on Thursday as they had to revert to swinging in crosses time and time again.
The return of Gundogan will be important, as the midfield maestro is capable of threading the needle with pinpoint passing. The Black and Yellows will try to take advantage of Kinsombi's inexperience and the likely lack of understanding in Frankfurt's central defence, perhaps adding to this impressive stat:
Tuchel lamented a lack of sharpness after the game against PAOK, saying his side left "the absolute exertion you need" to be desired, relayed by the club's website. Dortmund need to improve on that against ultra-defensive visitors on Sunday.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Dortmund: 1-5
Draw: 6-1
Frankfurt: 12-1
Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
