Dortmund Hoping to Remain Top of the Table
The second round of Bundesliga matches takes place this weekend, with the teams hoping to get a positive result before the international break. The action gets underway on Friday night as Borussia Dortmund travel to the HDI Arena to take on Hannover 96.
Hannover 96 will be aiming to remain unbeaten by taking maximum points while Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to remain top of the Bundesliga with a win.
Werder Bremen provided the opposition for Hannover 96 on the opening weekend of the 2018/19 season and they came away with a point thanks to a 1-1 draw. The only disappointing aspect of the game for Hannover 96 was the fact they took the lead with only 14 minutes remaining but still conceded an equaliser.
Taking last season into account, Hannover 96 are not in good form and trends show they have won only two of their last thirteen Bundesliga matches. Their main problem comes in defence and they have failed to keep a single clean sheet in their last twenty league games, which is a very poor record.
Home form was very inconsistent for Hannover 96 last season and both teams have scored in four of their last five home Bundesliga games.
Borussia Dortmund did not get off to the best of starts against RB Leipzig last weekend as they fell a goal behind inside a minute. However, Lucien Favre’s team responded in emphatic fashion to score 4 unanswered goals to win the match 4-1. It was the perfect start for Borussia Dortmund who will be hoping to push Bayern Munich close in the title race this season.
The main issue for Borussia Dortmund last season was their away form and trends show they have won only one of their last nine away matches in all competitions. They failed to win any of their last five Bundesliga away games last season and will be keen to get the new season off to the perfect start with a victory in Hannover.
Interestingly, Borussia Dortmund have scored 2 or more goals in their last four way matches against Hannover 96 in all competitions and have lost only three of the last nineteen meetings between the teams. In addition, trends show both teams have scored in twelve of their last fourteen games at the HDI Arena.
Looking ahead to the team news and Hannover 96 are still without the injured trio Felipe, Timo Hubers and Edgar Prib. Pirmin Schwegler is doubtful and could be replaced in midfield by Marvin Bakalorz while Bobby Wood returns from suspension and could start up-front.
Borussia Dortmund have the luxury of an almost fully fit squad, which has been rare in recent seasons. The only player unavailable is Jacob Bruun Larsen and there is plenty of competition for places throughout the starting XI.
One thing we should be guaranteed in this game is goals. However, Borussia Dortmund have the superior quality where it matters most and should come out on top with both teams scoring.
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