Borussia Dortmund are thriving again in the Bundesliga, with back-to-back wins. Can the Yellow and Black make it a third straight win against Bochum this weekend?
The Bundesliga rivals will meet at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday afternoon. Dortmund will begin the weekend in fifth place and only outside the top four due to goal difference. A win and results going their way would send Dortmund into the top four places.
Bochum are at the opposite end of the table. The Blues are 14th in the standings, with 20 points from 18 games. They have found some form post-Winter Break, picking up four points from their last two matches.
Nine points now separate Bochum from the bottom three. They are playing consistently and could avoid the drop once more.
However, playing an in-form Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park won’t be easy for Bochum. The Blues took only six of their 20 points from away matches.
Bochum are the second-lowest scorers in terms of away goal stats. They scored just one goal in their last two road games, which were both defeats.
Meanwhile, Bochum have the Bundesliga’s second-worst defence away from home. They conceded 24 times in nine road matches.
Dortmund will be licking their lips, with Bochum’s porous defence coming to town. The Yellow and Black have a home record of 5W-2D-2L. Since the return of Jadon Sancho, Dortmund’s attack has been re-energised. The team scored seven goals in their last two games.
Sancho has one assist in two appearances since returning. His return came at the right time, as the team needed an injection of attacking talent.
The trend between these teams recently has been one of draws. The last two Bundesliga games between the clubs finished as 1-1 draws. Based on Dortmund’s recent scoring, there is a prediction for more goals this time around.
Edin Terzic won’t have striker Sebastien Haller, who is away on international duty. Meanwhile, the likes of Niklas Sule, Karim Adeyemi, Julian Ryerson, Felix Nmecha, and Julian Duranville are all ruled out with injuries.
Bochum’s Thomas Letsch will be without Takuma Asano and Bernardo are both away on international duty. Midfielder Mohammed Tolba will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury. Danilo Soares, Keven Schlotterbeck, and Michael Esser are all ruled out.
Our algorithm predicts a Borussia Dortmund win despite recent trends against Bochum. The Yellow and Black are improving and should pick up a win.
Our score prediction is for Dortmund to cruise to a 3-1 victory.