Nuri Sahin will be eager for his Borussia Dortmund team to recover from their heavy defeat last time out as they prepare to face Bochum in the Bundesliga on Friday at Signal Iduna Park.Dortmund were thoroughly outplayed by Stuttgart, suffering a 5-1 loss on September 22, and currently find themselves in eighth place with seven points from four matches. Their upcoming opponents, Bochum, are struggling in 16th place with just one point from their four league outings.Dortmund had started the 2024-25 season brightly, but their momentum was halted abruptly in their last match, where they faced last season’s Bundesliga runners-up.Stuttgart dominated the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into the break. They created four major scoring opportunities, controlled 60% possession, and managed six shots inside Dortmund’s penalty area in the opening 45 minutes.Enzo Millot added Stuttgart’s third goal in the 62nd minute, and although Serhou Guirassy scored a consolation goal for Dortmund in the 75th minute, Stuttgart scored two more to round off a dismal outing for Sahin’s side.Sahin expressed his frustration, calling the performance unacceptable and stating that he never wants to see a similar display from his team again.✅Borussia Dortmund v VfL Bochum pic.twitter.com/hQqijIbawS— Jeremiah_b_official (@Jeremiah_b_off) September 26, 2024 This defeat leaves Dortmund five points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich, and they have now conceded seven goals across their last two league fixtures.Despite this, BVB have been strong at home, winning their last five Bundesliga matches at Signal Iduna Park with an aggregate score of 15-3. However, before this run, Dortmund had won just one of their previous four home league games, drawing one and losing two.Meanwhile, Bochum enter this match after securing their first point of the season in a 2-2 draw with Holstein Kiel on September 21.Manager Peter Zeidler will be relieved to have ended a run of three straight losses, but his side will regret conceding a late equalizer in the 89th minute after leading 2-1 from the 35th minute.Bochum’s struggles this season are evident in their stats. They have conceded the most expected goals, produced the least xG, and registered the fewest touches in the opposition’s penalty area among all Bundesliga teams.##EDITORS_CHOICE##In their last 16 Bundesliga matches, Bochum have won just twice, drawn three times, and lost 11, including five defeats in their last six outings.Their away form is also worrying, with only four wins, seven draws, and 26 losses in their last 37 away games in the league.Dortmund will be missing Giovanni Reyna and Felix Nmecha, with both players expected to be unavailable until October. Defenders Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson are recovering from illnesses and may also miss the match, though they should be fit for the next game.After the heavy defeat to Stuttgart, Sahin is likely to make changes to his starting lineup, with Emre Can potentially replacing Pascal Gross in midfield.Some have questioned Sahin’s decision to use Marcel Sabitzer on the right side of the attack, and Sabitzer could shift back to his natural midfield role to partner Can.Bochum, meanwhile, will be without defender Bernardo until early October, and Ivan Ordets may miss out as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.Centre-back Erhan Masovic, who was substituted in their last match, may be replaced by Tim Oermann in the starting lineup.With Bochum picking up a point in their last match, Zeidler might be inclined to stick with an unchanged midfield trio of Dani de Wit, Ibrahima Sissoko, and Matus Bero.Bayern off to building a super-teamBUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 5Friday21:30: (1.30) Dortmund (5.90) Bochum (9.00)Saturday16:30: (2.20) M’ gladbach (3.50) Union Berlin (3.45)16:30: (1.62) Freiburg (3.80) St.Pauli (5.80)16:30: (1.85) Mainz (3.50) Heidenheim (4.40)16:30: (1.45) RB Leipzig (4.50) Augsburg (7.00)16:30: (3.15) Wolfsburg (3.50) Stuttgart (2.20)19:30: (1.80) Bayern (4.00) Leverkusen (4.50)Sunday16:30: (4.90) Holstein Kiel (3.90) Eintr.Frankfurt (1.70)18:30: (2.35) Hoffenheim (3.60) Werder (2.85)***odds are subject to change***
