It's safe to say that Borussia Dortmund played their best half against Sporting this week and we finally saw their true capabilities. What's next is a treacherous fixture against a team at the bottom of the standings, which is in desperate need of points.
Bochum are flying headlong towards a return to the lower division, especially after failing to even beat the next weakest team in the league. The win against Holstein Kiel was a must if they were to keep their chances of salvation alive, but they could only take a point. Bochum have only 11 points after 21 rounds played and 14 losses. Their goal difference is 19:46 and they have the second-worst scoring and conceding record in the league.
Niko Kovac's era at Borussia Dortmund started with a nasty loss against Stuttgart a week ago. The task for the experienced manager is to at least get Dortmund back into the Top 6 in the remaining 13 rounds of the championship. The win against Bochum is absolutely mandatory, but it might be more difficult than expected. BVB have only achieved two away wins so far and that is the main reason why they are in the bottom half of the standings.
But the away performance against Sporting (0-3) during the week showed that the team is moving forward and this spectacular result should motivate them for a good performance in the domestic league.
How the bookies view it: Obvious favourites but decent value
You will hardly be surprised when you find out the odds for the upcoming match. Dortmund have a significant advantage, but it should be noted that there is enough value in the odds. You can pick Bochum at 4/1, the draw at 14/5, or Borussia Dortmund at 7/10.
Recent head to head: Not as one-sided as it feels
Bochum have managed to stay in the Bundesliga for four whole seasons and have gained a lot of experience against top teams like Borussia Dortmund. The teams met a total of eight times in that period, with BVB holding the advantage with four wins to just one for Bochum.
Players to watch: Guirassy will be there again
Nico Kovac may resort to a shifted line-up to protect some of his stars, who played a tough match in Portugal mid-week. Nevertheless, Serhou Guirassy should start on Sunday, despite playing the full 90 against Sporting. The striker is finally picking up the pace and scoring goals almost every week. He netted a total of six in his last six appearances for the club in all competitions.
Probable line-ups
Bochum: Drewes, Oermann, Ordets, Bernardo, Medic, Bero, Krauß, Passlack, Masouras, Holtmann, Boadu
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Couto, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Svensson, Sabitzer, Groß, Adeyemi, Brand, Beier, Guirassy
Anything else catch the eye?
Bochum are far from being one of the strongest teams in the league, but, interestingly, they managed to steal points from Dortmund quite a few times in recent years. BVB won only four of the games against them, and only one time as visitors. The other three occasions when Bochum were the hosts ended in draws.
The other interesting thing is that Bochum only failed to score in one of their eight games against Dortmund since 2021. And considering that BVB only won one of their last five Bundesliga games, conceding as many as 11 goals, we expect the hosts to have their chances.
This German Bundesliga match between Bochum and Borussia Dortmund will be played on Feb 15, 2025 and kick off at 14:30. Check below for our tipsters best Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
