Dortmund maintained their fine form last week with a 4-0 triumph away to Hannover. The Ruhr side have a perfect six wins in as many away matches, the Bundesliga’s best attack (27 goals scored), defence (seven goals conceded), and record (28 points from 11 matches), and the list of superlatives goes on. Truly, Dortmund must be considered top candidates for the title.
Just don’t ask chief Hans-Joachim Watzke.
“We do not dream but continue on our way,” he said after the Hannover win. “We are down-to-earth Westphalians.”
Defender Mats Hummels echoed his boss’ sentiments, “Our fans are allowed to dream, but I think that they are realistic too.”
Such dreams of winning a title are becoming less and less far-fetched with each passing week. Indeed, Dortmund have earned more points through 11 matches than any team in Bundesliga history.
Ahead of Friday’s clash, coach Juergen Klopp emphasised that his players are indeed fit enough to play, despite it being their 20th match of the campaign.
“I have realised that we in Dortmund are on an island,” he told Ruhr Nachrichten. ”Apart from us, nobody takes Dortmund seriously.
“For 10 years, I have been asked how long my team can cope with the strain; when I was in charge of Mainz, we hardly ever played in midweek.”
Coming off more rest than they have had in weeks and a nearly full squad available, the Bundesliga leaders are in good shape indeed.
Hamburg Playing For Good Of Bundesliga
For Hamburg, last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Hoffenheim was one of sheer grit and determination. After falling behind due to an early penalty, die Rothosen dug deep and equalised on the stroke of half-time before Mladen Petric netted a late winner.
An outcast earlier this year Petric has scored four goals in his last three matches. He is not the only Hamburg player who has been in fine form as of late; at the ripe old age of 36, Ze Roberto leads the Bundesliga in assists. His performance as a utility man in central midfield and on the left of defence has been exemplary.
The performance of Petric and Ze Roberto has been critical for a Hamburg side that has suffered from a number of injuries to key players. Despite their poor luck in the treatment room, Hamburg enter round 12 in sixth place in the league, with 18 points.
Hamburg are well aware of the importance of Friday’s match.
“It is important for the whole league that we don’t lose and allow the gap to Dortmund to widen still,” centre-half Joris Mathijsen told Bild.
“If we want to achieve anything this season, then we have got to win in Dortmund,” concluded coach Armin Veh.
TEAM NEWS
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund's casualty list slimmed this week when Tamas Hajnal finally returned to fitness. The Hungarian midfielder is expected to be available on the bench, and might even be joined by Mohamed Zidan, who could make his long-awaited return to action. This weekend comes too soon for Sebastian Kehl, Patrick Owomoyela, and Florian Kringe, however; the trio will have to watch from the stands.
Probable Starting XI: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer – Sahin, Bender – Goetze, Kagawa, Grosskreutz – Barrios
Hamburg
Hamburg’s injury list, by contrast to that of their hosts, is a very long one. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Frank Rost, Marcell Jansen, Collin Benjamin, Dennis Aogo, Dennis Diekmeier, Eljero Elia, Tunay Torun, Miroslav Stepanek, and Romeo Castelen have all been ruled out of contention to play. The only question mark is over right winger Jonathan Pitroipa, who is expected to play despite struggling with a knock earlier in the weak.
Probable Starting XI: Drobny – Demel, Westermann, Mathijsen, Ze Roberto – Kacar, Jarolim, Trochowski – Pitroipa, Petric, Guerrero
Prediction
Dortmund are the best team in the Bundesliga, but Hamburg will not go down without a fight. The visitors snapped Mainz’s seven-game winning streak in an away match not so long ago, and just might be able to take three points from BvB. Dortmund are the more probably side to win, but a draw seems more likely.
Borussia 2-2 Hamburg 
