Borussia Dortmund (Home)
- Borussia Dortmund have won 10 of their 13 Bundesliga home games this season (D2, L1).
- Dortmund remain strong Bundesliga title contenders in second spot with 58 points from 26 games while HSV are securely in mid-table in 11th with 30 points.
- Kovac has transformed Dortmund from being a disjointed and erratic team into a well-drilled side with a back three that are extremely solid in possession and are capable of pressing the opposition at the other end.
- His team’s high wing-backs provide the width and the direct, vertical transitions have seen Dortmund score 30 goals in 13 home Bundesliga games this campaign.
- They are in good form, having won their last two fixtures with a 2-0 home win over Augsburg followed by a 2-1 away win at FC Koeln.
Hamburger SV (Away)
- Hamburger SV have won only two and lost six of their 12 Bundesliga away games this term.
- Merlin Polzin’s men are a disciplined, pragmatic side with a 3-4-3 system that is set up to be compact, defend well and use the wide areas to play into the channels.
- Hamburger SV have shown some improvement on the road in recent weeks, taking one win and a draw from their last two away games, and they could put in a solid performance in this matchup.
Head-to-Head
The reverse fixture finished 1-1 in Hamburg and HSV could push Dortmund close, but we are not expecting them to find the back of the net in this contest.
Key Players
- Julian Ryerson has been a major factor in Dortmund’s resurgence with five assists in BVB’s last five Bundesliga games while Serhou Guirassy remains their biggest goal threat with 12 goals in 25 league outings this season.
- Fabio Vieira has been in good goalscoring form for HSV with five goals in 21 Bundesliga appearances this term and he has netted three of HSV’s last five league goals.
Betting Insights
- The odds of 1.35 for a Dortmund victory are a little short in our view, but our faith in the hosts to win this game is not based solely on recent form or the fact they are playing at home.
- But we are taking the odds of 2.1 on Both teams to score - No because we think Dortmund can keep HSV quiet on Saturday and the visitors will not score against a rejuvenated BVB defense.
Prediction
There has been enough improvement in HSV to make the trip a little tougher than it might have been a month ago, but a home victory is expected with Dortmund boasting one of the Bundesliga’s best attacks and HSV scoring only nine goals in 12 Bundesliga away matches.
