Bundesliga: Favre Expecting a Big BVB Reaction

Borussia Dortmund vs SC Freiburg

Bundesliga action returns to the Signal Iduna Park Stadium on Saturday with a mouth-watering clash between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg on the menu.

Lucien Favre’s BVB are hoping to wrestle the league title from the grip of FC Bayern this season, but they’ve already stuttered after a winning start. Meanwhile, opponents SC Freiburg have been unbeaten.

Here at SBOTOP, the odds are heavily stacked in favour of a home win. But the question is can Dortmund get back on track without delay?

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Talking Points

Favre searches for consistency

BVB’s Wunderkinds shone in the opening fixture of the new season with a 3-0 victory over title rivals Borussia Monchengladbach.

Their two 17-year-olds in Jude Bellingham and Gio Reyna combined to score the opening goal, with US star Reyna finishing with aplomb after collecting a clever pass from Bellingham.

And it was also a fast start to the new season for scoring sensation Erling Braut Haaland who bagged two goals in the second half.

But defeat to Augsburg in BVB’s second fixture rather put a break on Favre’s attempt to lead from the front this term, and he’ll be looking for a speedy reaction against Freiburg on Saturday.

Dortmund dominated the game against Augsburg for long periods, registering 18 shots to their hosts’ six, but lacked the cutting edge they had showed the previous week.

There remains a lingering uncertainly at the club around the future of star forward Jadon Sancho, who assisted both of Haaland’s goals against Die Folen.

Favre looks likely to keep him after a summer of fending off Manchester United, but the young England winger has said that Old Trafford is his preferred destination in the future and he is willing to wait 12 months for a move to the Premier League.

Well, 12 months is a long time in football and things can change dramatically. So the head coach will aim to have his young star fully focused for the 2020/21 Bundesliga season.

Alongside Haaland, Reyna, Axel Witsel, and club captain Marco Reus in support, Sancho leads an exciting attacking line-up. However, they just need to find consistency.

The Bundesliga 2020 betting odds back BVB as the biggest rivals to FC Bayern at odds of around 7.00 to win the title and a victory on Saturday will do much to cement that position.

Freiburg ambitious for more European adventure

Freiburg’s campaign opened with a visit to newly promoted VfB Stuttgart which they navigated nicely with a 2-3 victory, and then Christian Streich’s team followed that with a 1-1 draw at home to Wolfsburg.

Can Nils Petersen score a goal for the third consecutive Bundesliga game? — Nils Petersen celebrates after scoring a goal against Wolfsburg

It was a game they could easily have won against Die Wolfen, who are balancing domestic and Europa League responsibilities. But despite creating a hatful of chances, Freiburg had to settle for a 1-1 draw thanks to a second goal of the campaign for Nils Petersen.

Favre gave a start to record signing Baptiste Santamaria, who was a 10-M Euros recruit from Ligue 1 side Angers, and Freiburg fans will hope the midfield man can lift their club even higher than least season’s eighth-placed finish.

Their attacking style has given SC Freiburg the nickname the ‘Breisgau Brazilians’ and with two perfectly acceptable Bundesliga 2020 results already in the bag, there’s no reason why Streich can’t push his team on.

He’s been at the club for eight seasons now, winning promotion to the top-flight and Europa League football during his tenure.

At 27 years of age, defensive rock and skipper Christian Gunter is a born leader and he has the man to lead his attack in 31-year-old Peterson, who has scored 78 goals in 169 games for the club.

History

While BVB have a rich tradition in the Bundesliga, winning the title eight times, Freiburg have a modest history as their best achievement was back when they won 2016 Bundesliga 2 title.

BVB have won 26 of the 42 meetings between these two sides since 1993, while Freiburg have triumphed on just five occasions and there have been 11 draws.

Dortmund have won three and drawn three of the last six clashes.

Their most recent meeting was a 1-0 victory in Round 24 of the 2019/20 season as Sancho scored in one of the last games in a packed Signal Iduna Park with the Yellow Wall in full voice.

In fact, BVB are unbeaten at home in 12 matches against their opponents, but Freiburg come into the game on a six-game unbeaten run.