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Bundesliga
Aug 23, 2015 at 2.30pm UK
 
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0-4

FT(HT: 0-0)
Ginter (55'), Reus (60' pen.), Kagawa (84'), Aubameyang (91')

Preview: FC Ingolstadt 04 vs. Borussia Dortmund

Sports Mole takes a look at the preparations of both sides ahead of Sunday's Bundesliga clash between FC Ingolstadt 04 and Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund will look to build on an impressive start to the new campaign when they visit FC Ingolstadt 04 on Sunday afternoon.

Thomas Tuchel's side head into the match as firm favourites to collect all three points, but Ingolstadt will be full of confidence after their own opening-day win.


Ingolstadt

After months of anticipation, Ingolstadt's Bundesliga debut finally arrived last weekend and it was a dream start for the club's fans as Lukas Hinterseer scored the winner to earn them a 1-0 victory over Mainz 05.

Although the main target for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side will be to avoid relegation this season, the performance and result against an established Bundesliga club will surely give his squad confidence that they can compete with the better teams in the league.

Celebrations may not last long in Bavaria, though, as Hasenhuttl attempts to cause an even bigger upset against Dortmund, and he will be hopeful that his team can capitalise on any tiredness in the visiting squad following their Europa League exploits on Thursday.

Despite the size of the challenge ahead of Ingolstadt, the occasion will be a memorable one at Audi Sportpark as the club, which was only formed in 2004, takes on one of the giants of the German game and the story of its meteoric rise is likely to attract most of the attention whether they claim a positive result or not.

There is certainly no doubt that Elias Kachunga was signed from SC Paderborn with the hope that he can add the extra quality Ingolstadt need to steer clear of the relegation zone, but Hasenhuttl look set to continue putting faith in the players who clinched promotion to the top tier of German football.

To the fans, a positive result will be a huge bonus on a day which will underline just how far this young club have come over 11 years, but Hasenhuttl will no doubt have eyes on a shock result after gaining momentum in their first Bundesliga test.

Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): LW


Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund's head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts during the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg football match between Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsberger AC on August 6, 2015© Getty Images

In the space of six days, Dortmund proved why they are such an exciting team to watch, while also displaying the unpredictability which is likely to keep their loyal supporters feeling nervous after last season's disappointment.

After easing to victory in his first competitive fixture as manager against Chemnitzer in the DFB-Pokal, all eyes were on Tuchel last week as he started the Bundesliga campaign with the pressure on him to prove that he can be the man to lead the club back to success following their troubles in Jurgen Klopp's final campaign.

Many have predicted that Dortmund will be a much-improved side this season, but few could have predicted just how impressive they would be on the opening day as they stormed to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, who were 20 points better off than them in third spot back in May.

In truth, Dortmund could have scored six or seven on an evening when Gladbach simply had no answer for Tuchel's free-flowing attack but celebrations soon turned to concern for the new manager when they returned to action in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Tipped to stroll to a comfortable win over Odd in the first leg of their Europa League playoff, Dortmund left their travelling supporters stunned by falling 3-0 behind inside 20 minutes in Norway to put them on course for an embarrassing defeat.

However, Tuchel's side produced a remarkable comeback to record a memorable 4-3 win which hands them advantage ahead of next week's second leg at Signal Iduna Park, but he was quick to reveal his disappointment with the performance after the game.

A return to familiar surroundings awaits on Sunday afternoon, and Dortmund will be desperate to avoid an upset as Tuchel and his side look to offer more evidence that they can be the side who will emerge as Bayern Munich's closest challengers.

Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW


Team News

Dortmund's midfielder Ilkay Guendogan (R), Dortmund's striker Marco Reus (C) and Dortmund's Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrate after Reus scored during the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg football match between Borus© Getty Images

Marco Reus missed Thursday night's win in Norway after taking a knock to his foot last weekend, but the influential attacking midfielder, who opened the scoring against Gladbach, is expected to return after Tuchel described his absence as a precaution.

Lukas Piszczek will miss out due to a hip injury, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Roman Burki are both set to be recalled after being named on the bench against Odd.

Hinterser's match-winner last week should be enough for him to retain his place in the Ingolstadt attack, but Kachunga could be given an opportunity to replace Moritz Hartmann in a 4-3-3 formation.

Ingolstadt possible starting lineup: Ozcan, Levels, Hubner, Engel, Roger, Matip, Morales, Gros, Leckie, Kachunga, Hinterseer

Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Burki, Schmelzer, Hummels, Ginter, Papastathopoulos, Gundogan, Weigl, Mkhitaryan, Kagawa, Reus, Aubameyang


Head To Head

This will be the first meeting between the two sides in a competitive fixture.


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We say: Ingolstadt 1-3 Dortmund

Ingolstadt will be full of confidence after their winning start to the season, and it is no surprise to see many people back Hasenhuttl's side to avoid relegation this season. However, they face a much tougher challenge on Sunday and Dortmund's attack should be strong enough to hand all three points to the visitors.



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Dortmund's midfielder Ilkay Guendogan (R), Dortmund's striker Marco Reus (C) and Dortmund's Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrate after Reus scored during the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg football match between Borus
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