Clash of the challengers and top scorers

The fact that even a squad full of world-class players can be pushed to its limits quite early in a season is currently in evidence at Borussia Dortmund. Some 16 players were away with their national teams – and not all returned to Dortmund in good health. The loss of Nico Schulz is a particularly bitter pill to swallow – the former Hoffenheim man suffered an injury while away with the national team and will miss the TSG game. A significant blow for BVB, especially since two other defenders are already missing in Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji, while a central component of their attacking line-up is missing in Thorgan Hazard.  Favre is well aware of the strained personnel situation before the battle of the title contenders as fifth take on sixth in the table: "Some national team players didn't come back until Thursday afternoon, and some of them played three games. For them, it's just about recovery, not training. On Friday we will only have low intensity training," said the BVB coach at the pre-match press conference.

Not ideal conditions for the coming weeks. Borussia Dortmund will play seven matches in just 22 days. BVB will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday (21:00 CET) with their first match against Lazio in Rome. TSG too will have a fair few miles to travel in the coming months. Like Hoffenheim, Dortmund are also making the necessary preparations for the demanding schedule, as Sebastian Kehl explained: "We need to be as careful as possible with our players. The schedule is very demanding for the players this year in particular. We don't have a lot of time. That doesn't make the situation easy, but we have been able to prepare for it. It will not be an excuse for us if we are not successful," said the head of the BVB licensed player division.

Respect on both sides

At the PreZero Arena, BVB face another tough task ahead of the next international break. Dortmund have gone five games without a win against TSG, and their away record in Hoffenheim is even worse: Dortmund last won in Sinsheim in 2012. "It's always difficult for us against Hoffenheim. They play the same system," says Lucien Favre.

However, there is a great deal of respect on show in Hoffenheim prior to the game against the fellow title challengers. Last season's runners-up have taken six points from their first three games. Dortmund have been impressive even at this early stage in the season, especially in the final third. Erling Haaland, who came to Dortmund from Salzburg last winter, has scored 17 goals in his previous 18 Bundesliga matches – and has four already this season. "They are a team with some really good players, especially when it comes to attackers. They not only have Erling Haaland in their ranks, but also some good players who are technically very gifted," said TSG head coach Sebastian Hoeness before the game.

Battle of the top goalscorers: Kramarić versus Haaland

TSG have therefore been forewarned about Borussia Dortmund. But recent successes against BVB – including the 4-0 victory on the last day of the previous season – have boosted the confidence of TSG's players, in particular Andrej Kramarić, who bagged a four goal haul last time the teams met – and leads the goalscoring charts this season with six goals. Hoeness knows that is his trump card: "We want to highlight our strengths and exploit Dortmund's weaknesses. And we want to show what a goal threat we can be once again."

 

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