What a difference can a week make! German giants Borussia Dortmund were flying high with a five-point lead over Bayern at the top, but a loss against RB Leipzig and a draw with APOEL in the Champions League, has made Dortmund fans come back to earth it seems.
The Black and Yellows now hold a meagre two-point advantage over their league rivals Bayern but will look to extend that gap as they face Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend. A win will restore their five-point lead at the top, with Bayern having to play against a mixed Hamburg side in the late night fixture.
Here’s the predicted Borussia Dortmund lineup before their clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Defense
Roman Burki had to turn off the comments section in his Instagram account to save himself from harsh criticism from fans after he messed up in the midweek draw against APOEL. The Swiss, will, however, still guard the net against Frankfurt.
Head coach Peter Bosz might be forced to revert to a three-man backline with the absence of Sokratis and Lukasz Piszczek. Sokratis was sent off in the last match against Leipzig, meaning new signing Omer Toprak will partner Marc Bartra in central defence along with Marcel Schmelzer as the left-sided centre back.
Christian Pulisic and Jeremy Toljan are expected to feature as wingbacks for the Black and Yellows.
Midfield
Nuri Sahin will make his comeback into the starting lineup, replacing Julian Weigl. The Turkish International is expected to feature alongside Mario Gotze in central midfield positions. Both need to take their game to the next level if they are to make any difference against a sturdy Eintracht defence.
Sahin is expected to play a deeper role, while Gotze will play as the number eight. The German International has prevailed in the role of a midfield string puller, of late.
Gonzalo Castro and Shinji Kagawa will have to settle for the bench following their disappointing performances in the past couple of matches. However, Mahmoud Dahoud also makes a strong case to be included in the starting lineup.
Attack
Dortmund frontline trio will be comprised of Andriy Yarmolenko and Maximilian Philipp, both of whom will occupy the wings with Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang as the lone striker upfront.
Philipp has been in good form in the Bundesliga, and the former Freiburg attacker will look to add a few more goals to his tally against Eintracht Frankfurt.
We might see youngster Jacob-Bruun Larsen on the bench as well, following his exquisite performances in the youth divisions. Here is how they might line up:
