Borussia Dortmund finally got back to winning ways when they thrashed the third tier Magdeburg in the second round Pokal game in midweek. They registered a convincing 5:0 win over FCM. But Peter Bosz’s men will face a tougher task this weekend as they travel to Lower Saxony to play against Hannover in the Bundesliga.
Hannover 96 has been one of the sterner teams in the division this season, conceding just seven goals in eight matches. Their defence has been a key reason behind their impressive standing in the league table so far, but that defence will be put under a huge pressure this weekend against the most prolific attack in the league in Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund will be looking to take advantage of Bayern’s tough match against Leipzig to once again extend their lead at the top. Here’s the predicted Dortmund lineup to appear against the Reds this weekend.
Defense
Roman Burki will be the man between the sticks for Borussia Dortmund. The Swiss goalkeeper has kept the most number of clean sheets in the league so far and his form will be vital to the outcome of this game.
The defensive combination will be interesting to see as Peter Bosz faces a daunting task of making key adjustments thanks to the injuries of several important players. Marc Bartra is expected to remain as the right back while Marcel Schmelzer will occupy the left back position.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Omer Toprak will partner each other in the centre of the defence. Both of them will play an important part as Dortmund look to put past their recent defensive calamity with a solid display against Hannover.
Midfield
Nuri Sahin started in the win against Magdeburg, therefore, Julian Weigl will replace the Turkish midfielder in the holding role this weekend.
Mario Gotze is expected to return to the starting eleven against Hannover. However, Mahmoud Dahoud’s knock against Magdeburg will leave him out of contention to start. Shinji Kagawa will most likely partner Gotze in central midfield.
Attack
Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang is doubtful for the clash, meaning the door will be open for either of Alexander Isak or Andre Schurrle to replace the Gabonese. Isak was very impressive in the midweek fixture and is in pole position to deputize Aubameyang as the central striker.
Christian Pulisic is also doubtful for the game, which makes way for Andriy Yarmolenko and Maximilian Philipp to be deployed as the wingers. This is how they might line up:
