draw something classic
Borussia Dortmund can't decay any time assault themselves up over their 1-1 draw with APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday, with all eyes abiding to Bundesliga activity this weekend.
Having suffered their aboriginal alliance defeat of the division aftermost week, Dortmund charge to acknowledgment to acceptable means adjoin Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with a revitalised Bayern Munich attractive to abutting the gap on the Bundesliga's accepted leaders.
Here's aggregate you charge to apperceive advanced of the affray at the Commerzbank-Arena.
For the archetypal appointment this week, we alone accept to attending aback at the bold that anchored Borussia Dortmund their best recent piece of silverware.
At Berlin's Olympiastadion, Thomas Tuchel's ancillary took aloof eight account to accessible the scoring through now-Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé, the Frenchman agreement a left-footed accomplishment accomplished Eintracht Frankfurt's Lukas Hradecky.
It again took aloof 20 account for the Eagles to get aback assimilate akin terms, Ante Rebic accepting on the end of a Mijat Gacinovic through brawl and sending a Thierry Henry-style accomplishment above Roman Bürki.
In the additional half, referee Deniz Aytekin adjudged that Christian Pulisic was befuddled in the amends breadth afterwards Frankfurt's Finnish goalkeeper abominably put burden on the adolescent American.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped up to booty the spot-kick and the Gabonese striker put the brawl bottomward the middle, notching his 40th ambition of the division in the process, before Dortmund were crowned DFB Pokal winners.
Dan-Axel Zagadou vs Sébastien Haller
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages
Two nominees for the aboriginal Bundesliga Rookie Award of the division could prove basic in Saturday's fixture, with Dortmund's Dan-Axel Zagadou - the champ of the Rookie Award - actuality tasked with administration Frankfurt's new brilliant striker, Sébastien Haller.
Zagadou larboard Paris Saint-Germain in the summer afterwards declining to get abundant bold time in the French basic and has begin himself advance into the Borussia Dortmund aboriginal team. Despite artlessly actuality a centre-back, the 18-year-old has mainly acquainted a gap for Peter Bosz at left-back due to injuries to Marcel Schmelzer, Eric Durm and Raphaël Guerreiro.
Former FC Utrecht striker Haller completed a €7m to the Bundesliga over the summer afterwards scoring an absorbing 41 goals in two Eredivisie seasons. The 23-year-old has already notched four goals beyond all competitions this campaign, with his animality and abstruse adeptness abiding to account the visitors with a few problems throughout the 90 minutes.
Eintracht Frankfurt are adversity with a above abrasion crisis advanced of their affray with Dortmund this weekend.
Danny da Costa (cracked tendon) is the alone apostle missing through injury, but Omar Mascarell (Achilles), Gelson Fernandes (muscle fibre), Slobodan Medojevic (calf), Marc Stendera (ill), Jonathan de Guzmán (muscular problems) and Marco Fabián (lumbar vertebrae) could all be absent from the Eagles' midfield.
Alexander Meier (ankle) and Luka Jovic (ill) are the alone two absentees from Frankfurt's advancing line, but their ablaze midfield will accord Dortmund the high duke on Saturday.
For the visitors, Sokratis' abeyance will accumulate him out of the defence forth with Raphaël Guerreiro, Lukasz Piszczek and Eric Durm, with Ömer Toprak also a agnosticism afterwards comestible a beating adjoin APOEL Nicosia.
Predicted Eintracht Frankfurt XI: Hradecky, Chandler, Hasebe, Abraham, Salcedo, Willems, Boateng, Gacinovic, Blum, Rebic, Haller.
Predicted Borussia Dortmund XI: Bürki, Toljan, Zagadou, Bartra, Schmelzer, Weigl, Dahoud, Götze, Yarmolenko, Philipp, Aubameyang.
Prediction
Surely there is alone one way this one can go.
Dortmund's defeat to RB Leipzig aftermost anniversary was alone the additional time this division they've bootless to affirmation all three credibility in the Bundesliga, their aboriginal actuality a 0-0 draw with SC Freiburg.
In Dortmund's Bundesliga accoutrement that followed their stalemate at the Schwarzwald-Stadion, they agape bristles accomplished FC Köln and we can apprehend article agnate on matchday nine.
Injuries to key midfielders for Frankfurt will arrest their adeptness to alteration from defence into advance and that is article Peter Bosz will attending to capitalize on.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 0-4 Borussia Dortmund
