The Matchday Preview

Another exciting Bundesliga weekend awaits. A fiery Ruhrderby on Friday, a crucial title clash on Saturday, & plenty more thrilling fixtures!

Another exciting Bundesliga weekend awaits. A fiery Ruhrderby on Friday, a crucial title clash on Saturday, & plenty more thrilling fixtures!

Season Prediction Accuracy: 23/36 (63.9%)

Borussia Dortmund v VfL Bochum

Borussia Dortmund suffered a humiliating night in Stuttgart last Sunday, conceding five goals in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2020. Cracks in their defensive structure were already evident in their fortunate midweek Champions League win, but on Sunday, Nuri Sahin’s side was ruthlessly exposed by a motivated Stuttgart side that played from minute one with a point to prove. Beyond tactical missteps and a disorganized defense, what was most alarming was Dortmund's glaring technical shortcomings and lack of intensity compared to their opponents.

While Stuttgart played with precision and fire, eager to claim their fourth straight win over one of the Bundesliga’s giants, Dortmund appeared tentative and disjointed from the start. The absence of a true leader was evident, with poor touches and baffling decisions preventing Sahin’s men from ever establishing a foothold in the game. Nico Schlotterbeck, in particular, symbolized Dortmund’s collapse. The 24-year-old struggled to meet the demands of switching between a center-back role in possession and a full-back role when defending. Dribbled past a game-high four times, winning no tackles or aerial duels, and caught out of position for Stuttgart’s second goal, Schlotterbeck endured a torrid evening.

It was clear from the start that Sahin was going to require time to transmit his style of football onto a side that had shied away from a domineering possession approach for the better part of two years. But growing pains can't excuse the lifeless display against an opponent that had arguably lost two of its most important players to Dortmund over the summer. The departure of a key defensive leader in Mats Hummels is clearly weighing on the side, while countless players are either hopelessly out of form - Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt - or plainly not good enough to effectively operate in a possession-oriented approach - Julian Ryerson & Emre Can. 

After the match, Sahin was resolute in his post-match comments, declaring that he never wants to see his team play like that again. He won’t have to wait long to put things right at least, as Dortmund face local rivals VfL Bochum this Friday. Despite being separated by less than 30 kilometers, the ambitions of the two clubs couldn’t be more different: Dortmund expects to compete in the Champions League, while Bochum’s sole aim is to survive another Bundesliga season.

Bochum took a small step toward that goal on Saturday, earning their first points of the season with a 2-2 draw against newly promoted Holstein Kiel. However, it felt more like a defeat at full-time. Bochum led 2-1 from the 35th to the 89th minute before sloppy defending on a late set piece allowed Kiel to snatch a draw. Such costly lapses are unforgivable in a relegation battle, and those dropped points could haunt them come the season’s end.

The silver lining for Bochum was their ability to score twice. Before Saturday, they had managed just one goal across four matches in the DFB Pokal and Bundesliga. Given last season’s reliance on a strong attack to compensate for a porous defense, finding the back of the net again offers a glimmer of hope.

Prediction: Draw

RB Leipzig v FC Augsburg 

With a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal, it’s surprising how little Marco Rose has been able to extract from his star-studded RB Leipzig frontline this season. The team has endured back-to-back 0-0 draws in the Bundesliga and managed just five goals in their last five matches across all competitions. Among the biggest disappointments so far is Xavi Simons. After a drawn-out transfer saga, Leipzig secured his return on another season-long loan in late August, beating out competition from clubs like Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Given Simons’ 8 goals and 13 assists last season, it seemed like a foolproof signing, but his performances so far have fallen well short of the standard Bundesliga fans have come to expect from the Dutch international.