Hummels out for at least 4 weeks
Aside the loss in yesterdays derby loss to Gelsenkirchen BVB will now have to cope with the loss of Mats Hummels who suffered a broken jaw in yesterdays game after an accidental collision with BVB keeper Roman Weidenfeller and is set to undergo surgery today in Bochum.
BVB Team doctor Markus Braun expects Hummels to be out for at least 4 weeks , this will come as a huge blow to BVB as Hummels has been in great form for them this season and has been solid in defence with CB partner Neven Subotic.
135. Revierderby : BVB travel to Gelsenkirchen
„Ich hasse Schalke wie die Pest“
I hate Schalke like the Plague. So spoke Kevin Groβkreutz earlier this season. The young Dortmunder is said to have the Schwarz-Gelb gene, such is his love for the club. The fact that the latest hero of the Südtribüne is such a passionate supporter of the club he plays for, has added even more spice to the 135 RevierDerby which takes place this Friday. Both clubs have issued a joint statement asking supporters on both sides to remain calm and well behaved, as this hasn’t always been the case.
What makes this match between the two rivals from the Ruhrpott even more intriguing is the league position of both teams. Dortmund sits in fifth place with 39 points while Schalke occupy fourth and have 45 points. Dortmund enters the match on the back of a convincing 4-1 win against Hannover. Schalke will be looking to bounce back after losing 2-1 to Wolfsburg. Dortmund will be desperate to win the game to keep up their challenge for a Champions League spot. Schalke themselves still have dreams of the title.
Form and history suggest Dortmund will struggle against Schalke, the last win in Gelsenkirchen was the 2-1 victory towards the end of the 04/05 season. Weidenfeller is the only likely survivor from that game with Dede having to content himself with a place on the bench. The personnel situation at Borussia is improving with most of the squad back to fitness. The biggest loss for the team will be the suspension of top goalscorer Lucas Barrios (11 goals). Coach Jürgen Klopp has a number of options to overcome the loss of Barrios. Zidan or Valdez could take the lone striker role with the other playing in behind. Tamas Hajnal could also return to the starting eleven and take the role behind the main striker, a position he filled with great success last weekend having come off the bench.
Schalke are likely to have Westermann back in contention having recovered from injury, and they will be looking to inform Kevin Kuranyi to provide the goals and continue his recent hot streak.
So Friday sees the game that all Borussen look forward to each season. Kevin Groβkreutz speaks for most Dortmunders with his inflammatory comments and the is no love lost between him and Schalke keeper and local boy Manuel Neuer. The battle between these two is just a small subplot in this battle of the Ruhr. What price the Dortmund Jung hitting the winner?
There is genuine belief among fans that BVB can pull off a win and further damage Schalke’s title challenge. Luckily for UK based fans the game is being shown on ESPN, so grab a bottle of Kronen and a Bratwurst, sit back and watch the fireworks.
The Projected Lineups
BVB - Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Valdez.
Schalke - Neuer - Hao , Höwedes, Bordon, Schmitz Matip Kluge, Rakitic Farfan, Kuranyi, Sanchez.
Credit for this match preview goes to PlanetDortmund member and guest author : Steve / Rinteln Dortmunder Nr.1
The future is bright … the here and now is Bender
When the doom and gloom kicked in over the news Sebastian Kehl was going to miss much of the 09/10 season with injury .. maybe a few hearts sank at the though of who on earth was going to step into his boots ?, who was going to slot into that defensive mid position? ok .. not that gloomy but there was debate and contemplation ... ah Mats Hummels or Nuri Sahin ..
And for the first few games of the season they both shared DM duties and both held their own proving more than capable , but it seems as much as Sahin had progressed his skills were better off used elsewhere and Hummels seemed to excel more when he was teamed up with Subotic at CB , and while various injuries and tactical changes forced Klopp to alternate between the 2 ..
But there was one other player who was to become a contender for that position it was Sven Bender who originally was brought from 1860 Munich in the summer and expected to be tried and tested with the Amateurs - BVB II .. he had his first dalliance at the DM position against Gladbach in October 09.
Far from having a nervous start you would expect he seemed to just slot in as if he had played at that level for many games than he had .. he played with good composure and authority , more injuries and the loss of Kehl ensured Bender to play more and establish himself as first choice , it wasn't only his defensive skills that were catching the eyes and attracting plaudits but his passing and control of the ball in the game and his emerging command of play in midfield.
he also seemed to have a good ability in distributing the ball in creating chances going forward .. being able to make that little pass that could lead to a chance and or a goal .. he had the touch of young Kehl about him, and the more and more he played i think the less worried fans and maybe Klopp alike became worried about the long term future of that position and while Kehl is sorely missed Sven has taken the chance and made the position his own and so much so that in the games he has missed it has been noticed what an impact and value he has on the team.
the surprise package i guess of the team so far he as become integral part to the first half season form of BVB and put the question that when Kehl returns to full fitness as he is now able to play in games for the Amas and train again .. will his captains armband alone be enough to displace the rising stock and form of Bender or will he just have to settle for a place on the bench and earn his place back.
were not saying Kehl is out and over but i think one thing is for sure is that when he first came Bender was tagged as one for the future but has proved he is most definitely the eyes of many not just one for the future of the club but also one for the here and now.
BVB hoping to end an 18 year losing streak in Munich
BVB go into Saturdays game with Bayern Munich looking to end a 2 game losing streak which saw losses against a resurgent Stuttgart and a brave Eintracht Frankfurt team , but more significantly they will be hoping they can put an end to an 18 year hoodoo away in Munich which has not seen them win there since 1991.
they will be up against a Bayern side who are in strong form thanks to the recent exploits of The Flying Dutchman Robben and the least unlikely of goalscoring sources defender van Buyten , but a flu virus has hit the Bayern dressing room and the possible loss of some of the in form stars inc. v Buyten , Butt and Olic will be something BVB will look to take advantage of and grab what on paper would be a surprise away win from home.
What could be in BVB's favour is the possible return of Weidenfeller, Kuba and Sven Bender for the match all 3 of which recently this week returned to full training and all will surely be a massive boost to the team.
One player BVB will be without is Nelson Valdez who picked up his 5th yellow in the last game and will be out through suspension.
Who will prove to be the catalyst for an away win that BVB need ... will it be Hummels who can return to haunt his ex club , will it be Barrios looking to add to his ever growing goal tally or will Dortmunder Jung Grosskreutz be the one to be the savior ..
15:30 CET , 14:30 GMT Kick Off at the Allianz Arena , Saturday 13th February ... let battle commence
Valdez to sit out of Bayern match
Borussia Dortmund striker Nelson Valdez will have to miss the teams match against Bayern Munich next week. The Paraguayan international picked up his 5th booking of this season resulting in an automatic one match ban.
Valdez' suspension will no doubt cause Jurgen Klopp some problems as his team is already riddled with injuries at the moment.
Dortmund suffer 2nd defeat in a row
Borussia Dortmund 2 - 3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund played host to Eintracht Frankfurt, who hadn't won at Dortmund since 1991. But the visitors walked away victorious today.
The first half of the match came to be a very evenly matched affair, with both sides having plenty of possession and attempts at goal. It was the away team that managed to open the scoring though. With 7 minutes played Benjamin Kohler leaped to meet a Patrick Ochs cross, and powered home a header.
Frankfurt nearly added a second minutes later when Altintop got some space at the edge of the box but Marc Ziegler was quick off his line to muffle out any attack.
On the 15th minute Dortmund managed to pull a goal back. Grosskreutz's corner was cleared only as far as Mohamed Zidan who played the ball back into the box where Mats Hummels was quick to react to put the ball in the back of the net.
Both teams had their fair share in chances on goal but Frankfurt were the closest to adding to their tally. Altintop managed to shot past Ziegler in the 27th minute but Mats Hummels was quick to clear the ball off the line, and just a few minutes later Altintop again had another great chance but failed to materialise a free header.
On the 39th minute Barrios was clear on goal but quick reactions by the goalkeeper ensured that the Dortmund hitman didn't score.
So at halftime the teams remained on level terms at 1-1.
The second half both teams took a while to get into the match shot wise, both teams kept plenty of possession though.
Dortmund then took the lead in the 56th minute. Owomoyela done well to retain possession of the ball in the oppositions box, he played the ball out to Zidan who crossed the ball into the box. Barrios was there to slot home from a few yards.
Dortmund went on to create a few good chances but the Frankfurt goalkeeper was on good form. In the 64th minute a Frankfurt corner was cleared out to Jung who fired a shot from 20 yards but it took a deflection on the way and Ziegler had no chance. The score levelled at 2-1.
The match livened up as both teams went all out for the winner. Dortmund came closest when a scramble in front of goal failed to materialise. It was then in the 73rd minute when Frankfurt took the lead. Meier took advantage of some slack defending to shoot past Ziegler.
Dortmund had the best chance after that just 1 minute away from the end of regulation time, Santana managed to head over the bar from 2 yards.
Borussia Dortmund: Ziegler- Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer, K. Großkreutz, Sahin, Le Tallec, Zidan, Valdez, Barrios
Eintracht Frankfurt: Nikolov- Jung, Franz, Russ, Spycher, Chris, P. Ochs, Meier, Teber, Köhler, Halil Altintop
Zidan: “Dortmund and BVB are my home.”
Recent Africa Cup Champion Mohamed Zidan has made clear where is home is. Zidan gave a brief interview after landing in Dusseldorf on return from his country. "I am full of joy, motivation, self-confidence, and full of energy," said the Dortmund attacker. Zidan is expected to play on Sunday against Eintracht Frankfurt (17.30). "I can hardly wait to get back out there," said the 29 year old Egyptian.
Over his role in the Africa Cup he had this to say, "I played an important role. I missed the Final of the last cup when I was with Mainz because we were in a relegation battle. I had to watch the final in a hotel in Hamburg." Zidan did not have to watch from abroad again, he played in this years final and assisted on the goal. "We were outnumbered, 2 against 4. I played a pass beyond three defenders and right into the path of Mohamed Gedo. One touch, shot, goal!"
Today Zidan returns to Dortmund. "Now I am finally home. Dortmund is my home." The smile he gave only showed his sincerity. Zidan received numerous texts from teammates before all of the games in Africa and he said he was floored to receive them. Zidan even talked on the phone with Owomoyela "every two or three days."
