Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Bundesliga match.
Borussia Dortmund's series of solid results came to a halt with an away defeat against VfB Stuttgart (1:5). This loss should serve as a valuable lesson for the coaching staff under Nuri Şahin, who will certainly motivate their players against VfL Bochum—dropping points against a league underdog is not an option.
Borussia Dortmund
Before the setback against Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund secured four wins and one draw, with a combined score of 13:3. Their Champions League debut against Club Brugge (3:0) showed that Nuri Şahin remained calm even when an early goal wasn't forthcoming—the team secured three points with the late goals from the bench (substitute Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scored twice). At Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund have produced 4.77 xG in two Bundesliga games, scoring six goals—only two teams have a stronger home attack in the league.
VfL Bochum
In preparation for the Ruhr Derby, VfL Bochum approach this fixture without a single win, quickly spiralling to the bottom of the table. Against SC Freiburg (1:2) and Holstein Kiel (2:2), they conceded a total of 6.23 xGA—far too many against opponents not from the top tier. Regarding expected goals against, only newly promoted Holstein Kiel, who faced a much tougher schedule initially, have performed worse (9.83 vs 10.66).
Borussia Dortmund vs VfL Bochum Prediction
Over the past two seasons, Borussia Dortmund have defeated VfL Bochum three times in five head-to-head meetings (with the other two matches ending in draws). An enraged Dortmund are expected to play fiercely in front of their fans—we’re backing a confident victory for the favourites.
