Local bragging rights and valuable points are on the line as Jude Bellingham’s Borussia Dortmund take on Bochum in the other Revierderby on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CET).
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Bellingham missed their first game of the season as manager Edin Terzic rested his midfield general in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League. In the league, however, the 19-year-old has played every minute and scored three of Dortmund’s last seven goals in their wins over VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and defender Mats Hummels were taken off at half-time in Denmark as a precaution, but both key players are expected to be fit as BVB take on their other local rivals. Terzic said during the weak game that the aim was to bring captain Marco Reus back for the weekend after an ankle problem. Raphael Guerreiro is also set to return and United States international Gio Reyna is in line for another start as fourth-placed Dortmund look to reduce their four-point deficit to Union Berlin.
The club’s top scorer of three this season, a cruciate ligament injury meant Simon Zoller played just 18 minutes of Bochum’s two meetings with Dortmund last season as VfL drew 1-1 at home and a dramatic 4-3 win at Signal. Iduna Park to confirm their safety and – in the absence of top-flight Schalke – claim supremacy in the Ruhr. And they could very well do with a similar result on Matchday 13. Bochum sit 17th in the table – one point above Schalke at their lowest and four from outright survival – having won only twice all season, coming in both home games so far under Thomas. Letsch. “It will be difficult to stay in the league like this,” the coach said following last weekend’s 4-0 loss at Wolfsburg. It was the third away game in a row where the so-called ‘Unrelegables’ scored four goals. Still, wholesale changes are not expected, so players like Zoller and Gerrit Holtmann could be on the bench again. Centre-back Erhan Masovic is rated touch and go to be fit over time.
Look: Jude Bellingham tactical analysis
Match statistics
- Reus have scored against 17 of the current 18 Bundesliga clubs, with Bochum being the exception.
- Kobel stopped 80% of shots on his goal, up from 67% last season.
- Dortmund are unbeaten in their last four home games, collecting 10 points from a possible 12.
- Philipp Hoffman has been directly involved in five of Bochum’s 11 goals in 2022/23, scoring three and providing two assists.
- Bochum’s nine defeats after 12 matches are as many as they have suffered throughout the 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign.
- VfL have lost seven consecutive away matches since beating Dortmund 4-3 on Matchday 32 of last season.
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Probable teams
Dortmund: Kobel – Süle, Hummels (c), Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro – Özcan, Bellingham – Adeyemi, Brandt, Reyna – Moukoko
Out: Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder), Dahoud (shoulder), Haller (testicular cancer), Meunier (broken cheekbone), Morey (knee)
Doubtful: Reus (fitness), Rothe (knee)
Coach: Edin Terzic
Bohum: Riemann – Gamboa, Ordets, Heintz, Soares – Losilla (c), Stöger – Osei-Tutu, Förster, Antwi-Adjei – Hofmann
Out: Asano (knee), Goralski (muscular), Grave (shoulder)
Doubtful: Masovic (muscular), Mousset (fitness)
Coach: Thomas Letsch
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