Borussia Dortmund vs. SC Freiburg preview: Two sides needing a morale boost

Borussia Dortmund vs. SC Freiburg preview: Two sides needing a morale boost

Borussia Dortmund:

The action for Matchday 31 of the Bundesliga wraps up with the enticing clash of Borussia Dortmund who welcome SC Freiburg to the Westfalenstadion on Sunday. Kick-off in this encounter is scheduled for 17:30 CET with both teams hunting a valuable win.

With relatively little to play for in recent weeks and now the Meisterschale officially belongs in Bayern Munich's hands, Dortmund merely have to hang onto second place. That can't be guaranteed either at the minute, with Leipzig closing the gap to five points.

Last weekend proved fruitless once again, as BVB experienced back-to-back defeats for the first time this campaign. Granted, it must be said Niko Kovač's side were unlucky – two rather harsh penalty calls against them gave TSG Hoffenheim a 2-1 win in Sinsheim.

If there's one thing that might give the hosts some motivation is their run of results against Freiburg. Barring the 1-1 stalemate earlier this season, Dortmund have won the last seven meetings between the two. Home advantage ought to give them some added impetus.

Team news:

Dortmund's injury list has grown by one name since last weekend. Karim Adeyemi (muscular problems) is set to join Emre Can (ACL tear), Felix Nmecha (torn knee ligament) and now Niklas Süle (knee) in the stands and play no part in Sunday's encounter.

Kobel will likely be protected by a trio of Anton, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini. Ryerson and Svensson ought to play wide of Sabitzer and Bellingham in midfield. Finally, Beier and Chukwuemeka are tipped to bring attacking support to Silva who may lead the line.

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Sabitzer, Bellingham, Svensson – Beier, Chukwuemeka – Silva

SC Freiburg:

Meanwhile, SC Freiburg arrive in the Ruhrpott as one of Germany's most in-form teams in recent weeks. Aside from a solitary defeat to Bayern Munich, their winning run which includes a Europa League run spans six games – something they won't want to end.

Coming off the back of an impressive triumph over Celta Vigo, the Breisgauers also claimed a 2-1 over 1.FC Heidenheim last Sunday. While they still trail Leverkusen 9 points, Bayern's exploits in the Champions League could earn the Bundesliga an extra European berth.

One difficulty for Julian Schuster's side, however, restoring energy to their weary legs after Thursday's DFB-Pokal semi final. Extra time was required but the night would soon end in heartbreak – Tiago Tomas struck late to crush their cup dreams in the semi-finals.

Now, the Breisgauers must pick themselves up and get ready to take on a BVB side in one of their lowest ebbs of the season. It doesn't make their task any easier though, given they last managed to win at the Westfalenstadion as far back as October 2001 with a 2-0.

Team news:

Unless any fatigue sets in between the time of writing and Sunday afternoon, Freiburg ought to come to Dortmund with only two players missing. Max Rosenfelder (hamstring) and Patrick Osterhage (knee) will be unavailable for Schuster once again.

Atubolu should return to goals behind a back four of Kübler, Ginter, Ogbus and Günter. Eggestein and Manzambi ought to form the double-six with Irié, Suzuki and Scherhant slotting into midfield behind the sole marksman Höler.

Predicted lineup: Atubolu – Kübler, Ginter, Ogbus, Günter – Eggestein, Manzambi – Irié, Suzuki, Scherhant – Höler