Borussia Dortmund trail Bundesliga frontrunners Bayern Munich by a solitary point as the title-chasers prepare to welcome Wolfsburg to Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.
The hosts were held to a disappointing draw by relegation strugglers VfL Bochum last weekend, while the visitors claimed a comfortable victory over Mainz 05.
Match preview
© Reuters
When Karim Adeyemi equalised after seven minutes against Bochum, all the signs pointed towards a comeback victory for Borussia Dortmund, but Edin Terzic's men failed to add to their tally and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Despite racking up 22 shots while dominating possession last time out, Dortmund dropped points against relegation contenders for the second time in three games, having played out a wild 3-3 draw with Stuttgart last month.
BVB chalked up eight successive Bundesliga wins after the World Cup, scoring at least two goals in seven of those victories, but they have struggled for consistency since then, recording three wins, three draws and one defeat.
Still, Dortmund remain just one point shy of Bayern Munich with four matches remaining, and it is worth noting that Bayern have not been at their best of late, recording three wins, two draws and four losses in their last nine outings across all competitions.
Terzic's men can also take confidence from the fact that BVB boast the best home record in the division, having won 12 of their 14 league games at Signal Iduna Park this season, with nine consecutive home victories coming since October.
© Reuters
That said, Wolfsburg possess the third-best away record in the Bundesliga, having taken 24 points from a possible 45 on their travels this term, while only Bayern Munich and Freiburg have picked up more points on the road.
Under the guidance of Niko Kovac, the Wolves appear to be on the right track again following a hugely disappointing bottom-half finish in 2021-22, with Mark van Bommel and Florian Kohfeldt both trying – and failing – to turn the tide last season.
Wolfsburg head into Sunday's clash on the back of successive wins, having claimed a 5-1 victory at Bochum – who frustrated Dortmund last time out – before defeating Mainz 3-0, thanks largely to a brace from Jonas Wind.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Wolves have lost just one of their last nine Bundesliga encounters, picking up four wins and four draws to remain in the hunt for European football.
It is also worth pointing out that Wolfsburg have won six of their last nine away league games, including three of their previous four, so Kovac's men will back themselves to secure a positive result at Signal Iduna Park.
Team News
© Reuters
Mateu Morey Bauza (knee) and Julien Duranville (thigh) remain long-term absentees for Borussia Dortmund, while Soumaila Coulibaly (knee), Thomas Meunier (muscle) and Nico Schlotterbeck (thigh) are also out injured.
Having racked up six goals and three assists in his last six league outings, Dutch winger Donyell Malen will continue to support Sebastien Haller and Karim Adeyemi in attack.
In midfield, Julian Brandt and Emre Can are expected to line up alongside teenage sensation Jude Bellingham, who has bagged 11 goals and seven assists across all competitions this season.
Raphael Guerreiro is likely to remain at left-back, with Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule occupying the centre-back roles, leaving Julian Ryerson to operate at right-back.
Wolfsburg have several injury absentees of their own, with Maxence Lacroix (shoulder), Lukas Nmecha (knee), Kevin Paredes (muscle) and Paulo Otavio (ankle) set to miss Sunday's showdown.
Jonas Wind will continue to lead the line following his brace against Mainz, while Patrick Wimmer will look to enhance his tally of four goals and eight assists this term.
With three clean sheets in his last six appearances, goalkeeper Koen Casteels will line up behind the defensive trio of Sebastiaan Bornauw, Joshua Guilavogui and Kilian Fischer.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Hummels, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Can, Brandt; Malen, Haller, Adeyemi
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Bornauw, Guilavogui, Fischer; Baku, Gerhardt, Arnold, Kaminski; Svanberg, Wimmer; Wind
We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Wolfsburg
This season, 20 of Borussia Dortmund's 30 league games have produced at least three goals, while Wolfsburg have scored eight goals across their past two matches.
With that in mind, we can see Dortmund and Wolfsburg dishing up a high-scoring thriller on Sunday, with the hosts expected to outscore the visitors to keep their title dreams alive.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
