The match against Bochum comes at the perfect time as Dortmund need to bounce back from one of the worst beatings they received in recent history.
Nuri Sahin finally experienced the ugly side of defeat in the Bundesliga. BVB visited Stuttgart in the highlight fixture of round 4 and went back home with five goals they probably wish to forget.
Stuttgart are proving to be Dortmund's kryptonite but this bad result is part of the past. The upcoming fixture against Bochum is a perfect opportunity to fix the neutral goal difference and win three mandatory points.
Winning at least a point will also secure a new league record for Friday home games. Dortmund can break Werder Bremen's unbeaten home game record for Friday fixtures, which is currently 37 in a row.
Serhou Guirassy's first goal in the Bundesliga since joining BVB was the only positive from that tough defeat. He will look to extend his tally against a much weaker target.
Bochum's draw against Holstein Kiel led to their first point since the start of the season. But this also means that Peter Zeidler's squad failed to win any of the first four games. Previously, Bochum lost to Freiburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, and RB Leipzig.
How the bookies view it: Dortmund never lose on Friday
Bookmakers give Bochum minimal chances for a positive outcome on Friday. The current odds at Betano give us 7/25 for Dortmund, 5/1 for the draw, and 37/4 for the underdogs.
Recent head to head: Bochum have been tougher than expected
On rare occasions, Bochum managed to stop Dortmund but the last decade saw them win only once against this opponent. The teams played seven times since Bochum re-joined the Bundesliga in 2021. The Undescendables lost three times, won once, and managed to draw another three times.
Players to watch: Adeyemi – Guirassy link
Karim Adeyemi was the man of the hour in the previous home match as he scored a brace for the 4:2 win over Heidenheim. Expect him to be on the left wing right next to Guirassy again.
As for the Guinean striker, we expect him to get more chances to score against Bochum than usual. He contributed the only goal against Stuttgart, his former team, but it is a fact that Dortmund barely created anything in the 90+ minutes he spent on the pitch.
Probable line-ups
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Schlotterbeck, Sule, Anton, Ryerson, Nmecha, Gross, Adeyemi, Brandt, Sabitzer, Guirassy
Bochum: Drewes, Wittek, Masovic, Medic, Passlack, de Wit, Bero, Sissoko, Daschner, Boadu, Hofmann
Anything else catch the eye?
It must be noted that despite the obvious gap in class, Bochum managed to score at least one goal in six of the last seven games against Dortmund. Back in 2022, they even beat them 3:4 at Signal Iduna Park.
With this said, there is a certain value in the 13/21 odds for both teams to score at Betano. Alternatively, we expect at least four goals in this fixture as BVB are in desperate need of an immediate response to the recent crushing defeat. An FT score in the range of 3-1/4-1 is to be expected. And since Borussia are a massive favourite, the best option is to combine the win with one of the goal lines.
This German Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bochum will be played on Sep 27, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Borussia Dortmund vs Bochum prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
