Borussia Dortmund’s perfect start to 2024 came to an end with a goalless draw against Heidenheim last weekend. It was their first goalless draw in the Bundesliga since October 2019.
Edin Terzic’s men remain in the top four, but with RB Leipzig just one point behind, they have little margin for error.
Dortmund will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Freiburg on Saturday.
They have a good record against Freiburg, having won each of their last four meetings, scoring 17 goals in the process.
The Black and Yellows have not lost to Freiburg at home since October 2001, when current sporting director Sebastian Kehl scored against them!
Freiburg fans have good reason to be apprehensive about this match.
Their team has won only one of their last five matches (1 draw, 3 losses), including two consecutive defeats, both by a score of 3-1.
Christian Streich’s men could lose three consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time since November 2021!
They have also lost two away games in a row and have picked up only 10 of their 28 points this season on the road.
If Freiburg are to cause an upset, they will need to rediscover their scoring touch.
The last two times they avoided defeat at this ground, they scored two goals.
Key Battle: Dortmund stalwart Mats Hummels scored a brace in the reverse fixture, giving the Black and Yellows the lead on both occasions.
He may be tasked with containing Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo, who has been involved in four goals in his last three appearances (2 goals, 2 assists). However, he has lost more often in the Bundesliga only against Bayern Munich (12) than against Dortmund (9).
Hot Stat: Ten of the last 12 meetings between these two teams at Dortmund have produced over 2.5 goals.
Prediction: Dortmund are clear favorites for this match. They have a good home record against Freiburg and are in need of a win to get their title challenge back on track. Freiburg are struggling for form and have a poor away record. I expect Dortmund to win this match comfortably.
Score prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 SC Freiburg
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