Prediction: VfL Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 13/25

Bookmaker: Unibet

VfL Bochum are set to play host to Borussia Dortmund at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion, some 10 miles west of Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, on Friday evening in the opening match of the 30th round of the 2022/23 season in the Bundesliga.

Both teams have everything to play for – points are vital for them, at different parts of the table though they are.

VfL Bochum

It’s the final stretch of the race and Bochum must do the best they can to avoid relegation. At the moment, they’re just above the danger zone with 27 points, five more than Hertha Berlin in last place, three more than Schalke 04 in 17th, and two more than VfB Stuttgart in 16th which leads into relegation play-offs. They’re also two points behind Hoffenheim in 14th, and three behind Augsburg in 13th. With five rounds to be played, these are the teams involved in the relegation battle.

Last season, Bochum’s first back in the Bundesliga after 11 years in the second tier, Thomas Letsch’s team finished 13th, and now they’ll surely do whatever it takes to stay where they are and not go back down.

Bochum’s recent form hasn’t been too bad, though it could’ve been better too and their last two matches at home yielded disappointing results. In chronological order, their last-six run in all competitions consists of a 0-2 win away to Koln, a 1-0 home win over RB Leipzig, a 1-1 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2-3 home defeat to Stuttgart, a 1-1 draw away to Union Berlin, and a 1-5 thrashing suffered at home at the hands of Wolfsburg.

Team News

Attacking midfielder Phillip Forster is a major doubt for this clash, having missed the Wolfsburg embarrassment through injury.

Goalkeeper Marko Johansson and defender Keven Schlotterbeck remain out through muscle issues.

Manuel Reimann will remain in goal, with Erhan Masovic and Ivan Ordets in the heart of defence, flanked by Christian Gamboa and Danilo Soares. Captain Anthony Losilla is set to anchor the midfield, with Patrick Osterhage and Pierre Kunde playing between the two boxes. Upfront, striker Philipp Hoffman should be flanked by Takuma Asano and Christopher Antwi-Adjei.

Borussia Dortmund

Meanwhile, at Dortmund they’re excited about the prospect of winning their first Bundesliga title since the Jurgen Klopp era, back in 2011/12 when they were still under the command of the man now in charge of the team at Liverpool. The fact that Bayern Munich, the perpetual champions since, are going through a rough patch has, of course, played its part, but the work done by Edin Terzic and his men should not be underestimated.

Be that as it may, after 29 rounds, Dortmund top the Bundesliga table with 60 points, one more than Bayern in second place, which obviously means there’s no room for the players to relax even the slightest. This is the moment, the period when they need to be at their best to stay where they are and lift the trophy at the end of the season.

Dortmund’s Champions League campaign ended in a disappointing fashion, as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 and lost the second by 2-0. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal by RB Leipzig.

As for their recent form, Dortmund’s last six matches in all competitions include a 6-1 home win over Koln, a 4-2 defeat away to Bayern, the 2-0 loss to Leipzig in the cup, a 2-1 home win over Union Berlin, a 3-3 draw away to Stuttgart, and a 4-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Team News

This match should’ve been interesting for the Schlotterbeck family, but just as Keven is unavailable for Bochum, his brother Nico won’t be able to play for Dortmund, and he probably won’t play again this season, having suffered a bad tendon injury. Fellow defenders Thomas Meunier and Mateu Moray are injured too.

With Gregory Kobel in goal, Niklas Sule will likely play alongside Mats Hummels in the heart of defence, with Raphael Guerreiro on the left and Julian Ryerson on the right. Emre Can will be the midfielder closest to the back line, while Jude Bellingham and Julian Brandt play further up. Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi will flank Sebastien Haller in attack.

Conclusion

With all due respect to Bochum, Dortmund are the absolute favourites to win the game on Friday, and anything else would be a huge surprise. The home side will be lucky to avoid another heavy thrashing.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 13/25

Bookmaker: Unibet