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28.10.2023
Bundesliga

Matchday in focus: Brandt the danger man

Reunions aplenty, injury worries and a top scorer who is hitting new heights. We take a closer look at Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund.

    Tactics

    Edin Terzic, who is in his second season as head coach, normally sets up his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Dortmund’s game is attack-minded and relies on finding quick routes to goal after winning possession.

    BVB head coach Edin Terzic.

    Absentees

    Mateu Morey, Julien Duranville and Silas Ostrzinski are unavailable for BVB due to injury. There have been question marks over Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Julian Ryerson this week, but the trio are expected to shake off knocks in time for Sunday.

    For Eintracht, everyone bar Sebastian Rode, Mehdi Loune and Simon Simoni (all injured) is available. The signs with Kevin Trapp, who has been hampered by back problems recently, were also good on Friday.

    One to watch: Julian Brandt

    Now in his fifth season in Dortmund, Brandt is enjoying his most prolific period in a black and yellow shirt. With three goals and four assists, he has been involved in more goals than any other player for Dortmund and has had a hand in at least one goal in each of his last seven Bundesliga outings.

    • Milestone: Brandt made his 300th Bundesliga appearance on the last matchday, becoming the third youngest player in the league’s history to reach this mark. Only one outfield player did so at a younger age – Eintracht legend Karl-Heinz Körbel.
    • Successes: among the greatest achievements of the 27-year-old’s career are the silver medal with the German team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, victory in the Confederations Cup with Germany in 2017 and the DFB Cup win with Borussia in 2021.

    We meet again

    Five members of the Dortmund team have an Eintracht past – Emre Can, Sébastien Haller, Niklas Süle and Marius Wolf – as well as assistant coach Armin Reutershahn.

    On the SGE side, Mario Götze, Knauff, Rode and Nnamdi Collins all formerly wore black and yellow.

    Stats and runs

    Ansgar Knauff scored in back-to-back Bundesliga games for the first time with his goal against Hoffenheim last Saturday. Two goals in one Bundesliga campaign also represent a personal best for the ex-Dortmund man.

    Ansgar Knauff scored in back-to-back Bundesliga games for the first time.

    SGE boast the best defence in the league with just six goals conceded in eight matches this season. Similarly, Trapp is the goalkeeper with the best save rate in the Bundesliga, having stopped 82 percent of the shots he has faced.

    Eintracht have recorded 32 wins in 100 Bundesliga meetings against BVB. Dortmund have won 48 and there have been 20 draws.