Bundesliga: Can Dortmund Continue The Streak?

Borussia Dortmund vs SC Freiburg

Borussia Dortmund are the only undefeated team in the Bundesliga, and they will look to keep that pristine record when they play Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park.

BVB have been simply unstoppable this campaign. While there were low expectations on their title chances after an exodus of strikers and the appointment of a new manager, they have shown this year that they are more than ready to contend.

Now, they have their eyes set on the German top-flight title—the all-important silverware they last held seven years ago.

The current league leaders are riding a three-game winning streak in the competition, and Freiburg certainly have their work cut out.

Talking Points

After UCL, BVB’s eyes now in Germany!

Dortmund are through to the Champions League Round of 16 with one game to spare. With that said, they can now focus on their domestic campaign and try to extend their four-point lead over surprise chasers Borussia Monchengladbach.

Lucien Favre’s men recently played out a goalless draw with Belgian team Club Brugge in the UCL. And while the match didn’t feature their usual swashbuckling style, it was a rather cosy outing as they got the one point they needed to qualify.

The North Rhine side currently lead Germany’s top-tier with 30 points and 35 goals. To put their scoring display into better perspective, the bottom three clubs—VfB Stuttgart, Fortuna and Hannover 96—have a combined 36 markers.

BVB are expected to return to regular programming when they head home to play Freiburg, and getting over the burden of qualifying in their European spell should ease some pressure and allow them to play to their full potential.

Bundesliga: Lucien Favre is doing great as Borussia Dortmund head coach — Lucien Favre giving instructions to his players from the touchline

Paco Alcacer and the super-subs

Paco Alcacer is a man on a mission and it’s just suitable to say that he came, he saw and he conquered.

The former Barcelona man, who made his move to the German league permanent, has been the man in most Bundesliga 2018 highlights. He leads the competition in scoring with nine goals, tied with Frankfurt duo Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic.

Remarkably, eight of his goal tally came off the bench, making him Bundesliga’s highest-scoring super-sub right now.

In the presence of Alcacer, BVB have the most goals (12) scored by substitutes. In league history, the most number scored by subs is only 17, set by Werder Bremen in the 2006-07 campaign and Bayern Munich in 2013-14.

BVB undoubtedly have the depth needed to win the title, and that is their biggest strength this season.

Freiburg, hapless and hopeless?

Freiburg know the threat that Dortmund bring; however, they know very well that they don’t have enough tools to counter their soaring opponents.

Christian Streich’s men have only won once in their last eight competitive matches. And while four of that ended in a draw, it has been a common theme for them to collapse defensively. In fact, they are the sixth team with the highest goals conceded.

Moreover, despite their position (11th), 12th-placed Bayer Leverkusen and 13th-ranked Augsburg have performed better offensively.

The only source of confidence for Freiburg is their recent performances against Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich. Both fixtures ended in a 1-1 draw, with Freiburg leading for the most part against Bremen and scoring an 89th-minute equaliser versus the Bavarians.

History

Interestingly, the home-and-away fixtures between the two clubs in 2017-18 both ended in a stalemate. Freiburg held Dortmund to a goalless draw in their first encounter, while their second meeting saw the then Peter Stoger-led side squander a one-goal lead before coming back for a 2-2 draw.

It’s a well-known fact, though, that Dortmund are always challenging to handle at home. They are still undefeated at Signal Iduna Park in all competitions this year, making the task even more daunting for Freiburg.

Not to mention that Streich’s charges have only one win in five Bundesliga away games this season.

Betting Tip

	Borussia Dortmund vs SC Freiburg	Borussia Dortmund Correct Score 2-0 @ 6.80
	December 01, 22:30 (GMT+8)

It’s a real David-vs-Goliath matchup, with the Bundesliga 2018 odds pointing to a one-sided affair. Asian Handicap betting at SBOBET is further proof of that, as Dortmund are handed more than a one-goal handicap just to even the field.

I think Freiburg will focus more defensively here—like they did against Bayern and Bremen—but it’s doubtful if they can hold their ground against unarguably one of the best Dortmund sides ever.

Although Freiburg can pop up some surprises from time to time, I don’t think it will be here. Not in front of the Yellow Wall anyway.