Borussia Dortmund vs Bochum

Signal Iduna Park is the venue as Borussia Dortmund and Bochum go head-to-head in contrasting Bundesliga circumstances.

Days after closing out a successful Champions League Group G campaign with a 1-1 draw at Copenhagen, Borussia Dortmund will be out to avenge a brace of last season’s winless Bundesliga H2Hs against Bochum (D1, L1). Edin Terzic’s men followed up a 5-0 thumping of Stuttgart in their most recent home league outing with a 2-1 beating of Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend to maintain a four-point deficit on league-leaders Union Berlin. It’s worth noting ‘Die Borussen’ have netted more goals (7) in their last two Bundesliga outings than in their five previous matches put together (5). They’re likely to build on their improving scoring form, considering they’ve found the back of the net in each of their last 40 Bundesliga home fixtures, an ongoing club record.

Meanwhile, Bochum’s last five Bundesliga matches have fluctuated between wins (3) and losses (2), keeping them embedded in a keenly-contested battle against relegation. Playing away from home has been Bochum’s ‘Achilles’ heel’ this season as they’ve lost all six league games on the road via an aggregate score of 19-4, conceding at least three goals in five! By extension, ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ have failed to keep a clean sheet on any of their last 8 Bundesliga travels, the longest ongoing wait for an away shutout among teams currently in the league.  But after claiming an eye-catching 4-3 win in this corresponding fixture last season, Bochum will feel confident about taking points off BVB in three consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time in 30 years.