Pre-Match Report
Facts preview: Goals seemingly guaranteed
The scenario: BVB will go into the game trailing third-placed SGE by eight points. BVB have taken seven out of a possible nine points from their last three away matches in Frankfurt. Their most recent defeat there dates back to 26 November 2016.
Home/away: Frankfurt have picked up almost the same number of points at home (17) as away (16), occupy fifth place in the home table and have only dropped points in their own stadium in the 3-3 draw with Bayern, the 2-2 stalemate with Augsburg and in their sole home defeat against Mainz shortly before Christmas (3-1). BVB have only picked up five points away (3-1 in Wolfsburg, 1-1 in Gladbach and 0-0 in Bremen).
Head-to-head record: Borussia Dortmund have lost only one of their last 16 meetings with Eintracht Frankfurt (by a 2-0 scoreline in April 2021). SGE are winless in seven home games against BVB. There were first four draws between the teams, then two Dortmund away victories and, most recently, another (3-3) draw. Borussia have won 51 Bundesliga matches against the Hesse outfit to date, which is more than they have won against any other club. They also have not scored more goals (202 so far) against any other opponent. Only against Eintracht Frankfurt have Borussia Dortmund won 11 games in which they went 1-0 down.
Statistics: Frankfurt have 33 points on the board after 17 rounds of matches and had their best first half of a season since the 1993/94 campaign. Their equalising goal to make it 1-1 against Freiburg on Tuesday was already their 10th goal from a set-piece. Omar Marmoush has taken nine of their 10 successful set-pieces. Dortmund have scored at least one goal in each of their last 15 matches.
Last season: BVB were too vulnerable defensively and deservedly found themselves 2-1 down at the break in front of 56,500 spectators at a sold-out Deutsche-Bank-Park, even if the handball penalty which led to the first of two Marmoush goals (8, 24) in a fast-paced match was highly questionable. Marcel Sabitzer reduced the deficit to 2-1 on the stroke of half-time and when substitute Youssoufa Moukoko levelled at 2-2 in the 55th minute, it looked as though Borussia might completely turn the game around. But Chaibi scored at the other end to make it 3-2 (68). Fellow substitute Brandt then scored the goal for 3-3 (82) but that did not satisfy BVB, who were playing for the win.
Biggest away win: BVB have won by a 4-0 scoreline on the Main twice. On 6 June 1981, Werner Schneider, Atli Edvaldsson and Rüdiger Abramczik scored between the 12th and 17th minutes to race into a 3-0 lead. And once Hans-Joachim Wagner scored precisely on the half-hour mark to make it 4-0 in front of 13,000 spectators, the result was already wrapped up. The match six years later on 17 June 1987 was also attended by only 20,000 fans – the clear majority of whom came from Dortmund – who saw late goals from Norbert Dickel (60), Ingo Anderbrügge (63) and Frank Mill (88/89). BVB thus extended their six-goal lead over Werder Bremen, who were level on points, and ended the 1986/87 season in fourth place in the table, having almost been relegated the year before.
Compiled by Boris Rupert