Dortmund Eyes Breakout Performance vs. Hertha Berlin Amid Aubameyang Saga
Borussia Dortmund travel to the German capital on Friday to take on Hertha BSC at the Olympiastadion Berlin.
Peter Stöger's side will be looking for their first win of the Rückrunde this weekend after a stalemate against VfL Wolfsburg last week. However, Hertha BSC will be desperate to cause an upset after losing in Stuttgart last time out and Pál Dárdai will be working hard this week to do just that.
Here's everything you need to know about the game in Berlin:
Classic Encounter
For our classic encounter this week, we're going back to the beginning of the 2007/08 season where Borussia Dortmund, who finished firmly in midtable the season before, were unable to stage an impressive comeback after throwing away a 1-0 lead.
Key Battle
Thomas Doll's Dortmund went ahead just after the half-hour mark, with Croatian striker Mladen Petric firing the ball past Jaroslav Drobny from long range.
Marko Pantelic scored just before the half-time whistle to bring Die Alte Dame back on level terms, with Brazilian full-back Lúcio completing the turnaround just 10 minutes after the restart.
Nigerian forward Solomon Okoronkwo scored an impressive solo goal to put the game beyond Dortmund with 15 minutes left on the clock and despite Petric notching his second of the game late on, Die Schwarzgelben were unable to rescue a point on the road in Berlin.
Marvin Plattenhardt vs Andriy Yarmolenko
German international Marvin Plattenhardt will certainly have his hands full on Friday night, with the 25-year-old set-piece specialist tasked with marking Andriy Yarmolenko.
The Ukranian winger, who joined Dortmund in the summer for €25m, has been involved in seven goals during his maiden campaign in the Bundesliga, scoring three and claiming four assists.
Although often a frustrating player to watch depending on his form, Yarmolenko has the talent to win a game by himself and will be looking to keep Plattenhardt on the back foot through the 90 minutes.
However, the 28-year-old will have to work hard in his defensive duties as well, with Plattenhardt's ability to pick passes with deadly accuracy a real threat that Dortmund have to try and contain.
Team News
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will miss the game this weekend and the Gabonese striker looks set to join Arsenal in the January transfer window.
Marco Reus, Maxi Philipp and Jacob Bruun Larsen will also be missing from the Borussia Dortmund attack, while Christian Pulisic could return to the matchday squad.
Potential Hertha BSC Lineup: Jarstein, Weiser, Langkamp, Stark, Plattenhardt, Skjelbred, Darida, Leckie, Duda, Kalou, Selke.
Sebastian Rode, Marcel Schmelzer and Raphaël Guerreiro are also missing for the visitors, with Peter Stöger injury woes seeming to be never ending.
For Hertha BSC, Alexander Esswein and Karim Rekik are the only first-team regulars that are expected to miss the game against Dortmund, while Pál Dárdai's son, Palko, is still missing with a back injury.
Potential Borussia Dortmund Lineup: Bürki, Piszczek, Sokratis, Zagadou, Toljan, Weigl, Yarmolenko, Götze, Dahoud, Sancho, Isak.
Prediction
CHRISTOF STACHE/GettyImages
Borussia Dortmund should be confident of claiming their first three points of the Rückrunde on Friday despite their long injury list.
Peter Stöger will also be boosted by Hertha's defeat to VfB Stuttgart last week where despite only losing through an unfortunate Niklas Stark own goal, Die Alte Dame were only able to register one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
Prediction: Hertha BSC 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
