Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to progress to the next stage of the DFB-Pokal when they take on SC Paderborn 07 in the third round this week.
The 2020/21 DFB-Pokal takes centre-stage in Germany this midweek as the third round of the competition gets underway. And heavyweights Borussia Dortmund will be in action on Tuesday night as they get ready to welcome second division outfit SC Paderborn 07 to the Signal Iduna Park.
It has been a rocky road for Dortmund under interim manager Edin Terzic. The Black and Yellows have not been able to string together a positive run of results. But they will be in confident mood after snapping a three-game winless streak with a 3-1 comeback victory over FC Augsburg at the weekend.
Dortmund saw off MSV Duisburg in the first round of DFB-Pokal, before beating second division outfit Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 in the last phase. And Die Schwarzgelben will be hoping to repeat the feat on Tuesday night. Their opponents, Paderborn, come into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Hamburger SV, which has meant they have won just once in their last four games.
Steffen Baumgart’s men started their DFB-Pokal journey with a 5-0 win over SC Wiedenbruck before eliminating top-flight side Union Berlin in the previous round. They will be hoping to pull off another major upset on Tuesday and progress further in the cup competition.
Ahead of this interesting match-up coming our way from the Signal Iduna Park, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both the teams.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Edin Terzic has a host of roster issues to contend with as the likes of Roman Burki, Axel Witsel, Thomas Meunier, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Thorgan Hazard and Marcel Schmelzer are all ruled out with injuries. There are likely to be changes made to the Borussia Dortmund lineup that took the field against Augsburg at the weekend.
Marwin Hitz is guaranteed to start between the sticks in the absence of Roman Burki while the absence of any alternatives means Terzic will have to stick with the centre-back pairing of Manuel Akanji and Mats Hummels, who will have their task cut out keep Dennis Srbeny quiet.
Mateu Morey has been preferred at right-back in Meunier’s absence and should once again get a chance to showcase his abilities. On the opposite wing, Raphael Guerreiro should be given a breather, with Nico Schulz likely to feature from kick-off. It will be interesting to see if the German is able to match up to the attacking pedigree that the man he will replace provides.
Thomas Delaney impressed in the weekend win against FC Augsburg. However, the Dane is likely to be rested with a difficult clash against SC Freiburg up next. In his stead, Mahmoud Dahoud is in line to get a rare start in midfield, partnered with Jude Bellingham, who will be key in aiding Dortmund’s ball progression from midfield.
Jadon Sancho should feature on the right-wing, having recovered his form of late while Julian Brandt could start out on the left, allowing Gio Reyna to play in a natural role through the centre, from where the USMNT international will look to create chances. Erling Haaland should make continue upfront, with and Youssoufa Moukoko and Steffen options from the benc.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hitz; Morey, Akanji, Hummels, Schulz; Bellingham, Dahoud; Sancho, Reyna, Brandt; Haaland
Paderborn
Paderborn do not have any fresh injury or suspension issues to contend with ahead of his team’s trip to Dortmund. Manager Steffen Baumgart has often switched up between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations this term, but could stick to the latter after it worked well in their last cup game against Union Berlin.
Leopold Zingerle will be the man in goal, who could be in line for a busy outing on Tuesday. He will be shielded by the centre-back pairing of Uwe Hunemeier and Sebastian Schonlau while Johannes Dorfler and Chima Okoroji ought to come in as the full-backs on the right and left sides respectively.
Ron Schallenberg will slot in as the deepest of the three central midfielders for the visitors and look to cut out Borussia Dortmund’s creative output with support from Maximilian Thalhammer. Svante Ingelsson is in line to take up the third slot in the centre of the park.
Former Borussia Dortmund II winger Chris Fuhrich, who has been in good form of late, ought to get the nod on the right flank whereas Sven Michel features on the opposite wing. They will look to support the main striker Dennis Srbeny in and around the hosts’ box.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Zingerle; Dorfler, Schonlau, Hunemeier, Okoroji; Thalhammer, Schallenberg, Ingelsson; Fuhrich, Srbeny, Michel
Key Stats
- In six meetings so far, Borussia Dortmund have never lost a single game against Paderborn, winning four of those.
- The previous competitive meeting between Borussia Dortmund and SC Paderborn took place in May last year in the Bundesliga, with the Black and Yellows emerging 6-1 winners.
- Paderborn have won two, lost two and drawn two each of their last six appearances in all competitions. They have managed to keep just one clean sheet in this run.
- Prior to their win against FC Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund had failed to win their previous win matches. They have not managed a single shut-out in their last five games.
- Borussia Dortmund have won the DFB-Pokal four times in their history, last lifting the trophy in 2017.
Player to Watch
Gio Reyna
The 18-year-old made a breathtaking start to the 2020/21 campaign but has seen his form tail off a tad bit in recent weeks. In 27 appearances in all competitions, Reyna has scored four goals while also providing six assists. However, the USMNT international has not scored or assisted a goal since mid-December and has now gone seven games without directly contributing to a goal.
Despite his slump, there is no doubting the abilities that Reyna possesses. Able to play defence-splitting through balls and cause all sorts of problems with his ball control and dribbling when comes up face to face against an opponent. He will be aiming to use this cup tie as a springboard to rediscover his form.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Paderborn
Paderborn have shown that they are a team that cannot be taken lightly, having already eliminated a top-flight team in the previous round, However, the gulf of class between the two teams on Tuesday night will be too wide. Borussia Dortmund have been a tad inconsistent under Edin Terzic, but the win against Augsburg will have boosted their confidence, which should carry them through to a win.
