Hamburger SV vs Borussia Dortmund Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More
Although talk of winning the Bundesliga title this season may still be a little premature, there is a great deal of excitement surrounding Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich have, in spite of winning the majority of their games, looked far from their best and we look set to have a title race on our hands in Germany.
With Hamburger SV next on Dortmund's list in the Bundesliga, here's everything you need to know ahead of the clash at the Volksparkstadion:
Classic Encounter
Team NewsPrediction
For our classic encounter, we're going to roll the clock back just 10 months. When Dortmund traveled to the Volksparkstadion last season, a stadium where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took a significant step in beating Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Torjägerkanone.
The Gabonese striker scored a 23-minute, first-half hattrick to secure Dortmund's first Bundesliga victory in over a month. Adding a fourth goal to his incredible tally just minutes after the restart, Dortmund suffered a scare when Nicolai Müller pulled one back after 55 minutes.
Key Battle
Ousmane Dembélé put the icing on the cake for Borussia Dortmund late on, just minutes before Hamburg's Müller doubled his tally for the game with another consolation goal, leaving Dortmund the resounding 5-2 victors at the Volksparkstadion.
Andriy Yarmolenko vs Douglas Santos
In today's transfer market, signing a skillful winger in their prime for just £22m is a bargain. For Borussia Dortmund, finally signing Andriy Yarmolenko after years of scouting the Ukrainian international could prove to be one of the signings of summer.
Yarmolenko, born in the old Soviet Union, has been one of Europe's most exciting players outside of its major leagues for years. Two years after Yevhen Konoplyanka, now of Schalke 04, swapped Ukraine forthe top European leagues, Yarmolenko now has the platform to be known across the world.
Having had FC Köln left-back Jannes Horn in his back pocket throughout the Billy Goats' visit to Dortmund on Sunday, the 27-year-old Ukranian will now be eyeing up HSV's Douglas Santos. The Brazilian full-back is set for a long 90 minutes on Wednesday as he prepares to face up against one of the most skillful players in the Bundesliga.
The return of Julian Weigl is a huge boost for Borussia Dortmund. The promising midfielder has been out of action through injury, making his first senior appearances as a second-half substitute against FC Köln.
Peter Bosz confirmed that Marc Bartra, André Schürrle, and Mario Götze all trained "to a limited extent" on Monday, with the latter of Dortmund's three returning stars in contention for a place in die Schwarzgelben's squad.
For Hamburger SV, Nicolai Müller and Filip Kostic's absence from their hosting of Dortmund will seriously hinder the ability to attack the visitors with width. Centre-back Rick van Drongelen, signed from Sparta Rotterdam for £2.7m in the summer, is also missing for Markus Gisdol's side.
Bobby Wood and Aaron Hunt have returned to training for Hamburg and although their inclusion in the squad is likely, a spot in the starting lineup could still be too soon.
Potential Hamburger SV Lineup: Pollersbeck, Diekmeier, Jung, Papadopoulos, Santos, Ekdal, Walace, Hahn, Salihovic, Holtby, Waldschmidt.
Potential Borussia Dortmund Lineup: Bürki, Piszczek, Sokratis, Toprak, Zagadou, Sahin, Dahoud, Castro, Yarmolenko, Philipp, Aubameyang.
Shall we go with a 2-0 win for Hamburger SV? Probably not...
Borussia Dortmund have scored 10 Bundesliga goals this season, with Roman Bürki's goal remaining impenetrable for die Schwarzgelben.
A victory on Wednesday keeps Dortmund top of the Bundesliga table, with the possibility of moving four points clear of Bayern Munich, and six of RB Leipzig, if the Bavarians drop points at Schalke 04 and the Red Bull-backed Leipzig lose to Bayern's neighbour FC Augsburg.
Prediction: Hamburger SV 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
