Bundesliga: Stuttering Dortmund Must Tack on Points Against Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund are actually one of the few undefeated teams left four weeks into the 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign. However, they seem to be miles away from the title race, so they must pick up the pace.

Saturday’s home match against VfL Wolfsburg gives them a great chance to do exactly that, and the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds expect them to claim maximum points even if the Wolves are ahead of them in the standings.

Edin Terzic’s men are fresh from a 2-0 loss in the Champions League against PSG last night, so they’re keen on a bounce back performance. Meanwhile, Niko Kovac’s side managed to win against Union Berlin 2-1 last time out.

Talking Points

Fullkrug might get his full Dortmund debut

After last season’s debacle, Borussia Dortmund felt the need to add more firepower, so they brought in Niclas Fullkrug to their ranks with the hope of adding another dimension to their attack.

Prior to joining BVB, Fullkrug played four years for Werder Bremen and has scored 49 goals in 124 games. Furthermore, the 30-year-old is a late bloomer since he only made his Germany national team debut last year and was one of the few bright spots in Die Mannschaft’s subpar World Cup run.

Last season, Fullkrug was the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer with 16 goals alongside Christopher Nkunku. But he’s more than just a goal scorer, as he’s great at holding up play with his physicality.

In three games so far for BVB, Fullkrug has come off the bench and is still finding his first goal. Following their midweek trip to Paris, Edin Terzic might rotate his squad, so he is a candidate to start.

Fullkrug could be paired alongside Donyell Malen, who is their current top scorer with three goals. Surprisingly, right behind Malen is their centre-back, Mats Hummels, with two goals.

Wind blowing away opposing backlines

On the other hand, VfL Wolfsburg boast Jonas Wind, who has become a staple in the Bundesliga 2023 highlights reel. The Dane has scored five goals and dished one assist already, which means that he has a direct hand in the team’s first six goals this term.

Wind is the first player in club history to score five goals across the first four games of a Bundesliga campaign, so he will certainly be on top of BVB’s scouting report, especially after Niko Kovac once declared him the best striker in the league.

But Wind is not the only weapon that the Wolves have, as Joakim Mæhle and Tiago Tomas have also managed to open their accounts this season with one goal each, a good sign of things to come since they were two of their key additions this summer.

Mæhle came from Serie A side Atalanta, while Tomas spent last season on loan with VfB Stuttgart. Hopefully, for the Wolves, there’s more to come from these two, given their European ambitions for next year.

History

Borussia Dortmund have gotten the better of VfL Wolfsburg, as they’ve beaten them in nine of their last 10 Bundesliga encounters (L1). And in their last five meetings at Signal Iduna Park, BVB have won each of the last five by a whopping aggregate tally of 19-1.

Their 6-0 win in last season’s corresponding fixture was Edin Terzic’s biggest victory as a coach and Niko Kovac’s toughest loss.

For the first time in five years, BVB are undefeated through the first four games of a Bundesliga campaign (W2, D2). And overall, they’ve only lost one of their 23 Bundesliga games in 2023 (W16, D6).

Edin Terzic’s side has scored in each of their last 53 Bundesliga home matches, which is the current club record. Only Bayern Munich have done better currently in the German top-flight (59 straight home games).

VfL Wolfsburg have gathered nine points from the first four games this season (W3, L1), which is their highest tally at this juncture since they had a perfect haul of 12 in 2021-22.

The Wolves are also the last team to stop BVB from scoring in the Bundesliga when they beat them 2-0 in November 2022.

Betting Tip

Borussia Dortmund are the favourites to win this game, as per the updated Bundesliga 2023 odds. The hosts are installed at 1.69, while VfL Wolfsburg are at 4.00 odds to win, and a draw is priced at 3.90 in the 1X2 market.

It’s clear that BVB have been VfL Wolfsburg’s bogey team, so we won’t be surprised if they defeat them again this weekend, hence our recommended bet.

 

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