Dortmund look to prove title credentials by bouncing back at Wolfsburg
By Matt Addison
Dortmund slipped up last week; with Bayern breathing down their necks again, they can’t afford another missed opportunity.
Borussia Dortmund remain top of the Bundesliga but Bayern Munich — their most likely competitors for the league title — pulled back the gap to just two points last weekend as Hertha Berlin earned a point against the Black and Yellows.
If Dortmund are to realistically take the title challenge to Bayern, bouncing back quickly from setbacks along the way will be vital, starting here against Wolfsburg who are currently mid-table having started the campaign with three wins, three draws and three defeats.
With Bayern seemingly back on track, getting three points in this game will be crucial in proving Dortmund’s title credentials — and their recent record against Wolfsburg is good.
Key battles
The main man for Wolfsburg is target-man Wout Weghorst, who has four goals in nine league games this season including one last weekend against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
In midfield, Maxi Arnold and Yannick Gerhardt will face the impressive duo of Axel Witzel and Mohamed Dahoud, although Julian Weigl could also come into the Dortmund side. Weigl was a regular under Thomas Tuchel but has fallen out of favour with Lucien Favre.
Defensively, Wolfsburg’s John Brooks and Marcel Tisserand will need to control the likes of Jadon Sancho, who scored twice last week, Mario Gotze, who is playing himself back into form, and Marco Reus, who has contributed a significant five goals and three assists in nine Bundesliga matches so far.
Christian Pulisic is another option for Dortmund — full-backs Jerome Roussillon and William will need to overcome several threats either from the start or off the bench if they are to win the battles out wide.
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Previous meetings
Wolfsburg have not come out on top in this fixture since May 2015 when they won 2-1 at home in the Bundesliga and then 3-1 in the final of the DFB Pokal.
After that cup final defeat, Dortmund won five consecutive times, including winning 5-1 twice and 3-0 twice, before that run was ended with a goalless draw at Signal Iduna Park back in January.
The last time Wolfsburg scored a goal in this fixture was in September 2016, while in the last 18 games between the two sides, they have won just four times to Dortmund’s 11.
Judging by recent form, if Dortmund could have picked a match to bounce in, it might just have been this one.