The pot is burning: Bochum act as Schalk derby substitute!
VfL Bochum have already achieved half the battle against relegation. Thomas Reis’ team has 19 points after 14 matchdays. Assuming that, as has always been the case in recent years, 38 points are enough to stay in the relegation zone, the Blue and Whites are on a very good path towards a second year in the Bundesliga.
Whether the points account can be topped up again on Saturday afternoon must be in doubt, however, as the Ruhrstadion will then host neighbouring Borussia.
This assessment is based primarily on the host’s good recent results, which have seen them win four of their last six Bundesliga games and are in particularly good form in front of a home crowd. The fact that BVB can rest top striker Haaland, among others, during the week in the Champions League is therefore all the more convenient. Fresh and rested, the Norwegian is eager to start from the beginning and to continue his scoring streak, which has now lasted six Bundesliga games.
Bochum – Statistics & current form
Before the start of the season, only the boldest optimists would have thought that VfL Bochum would be in tenth place in the standings shortly before Christmas, already six points clear of the relegation places and even one point ahead of reigning runners-up RB Leipzig.
In fact, the success of the promoted team is no coincidence. After initial problems at the start of the season, when VfL first had to get used to the new conditions in the top flight of German football, things have been going really well lately. Coach Thomas Reis’ team has picked up an impressive twelve points from the last six games (four wins, two losses), including wins against SC Freiburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Home-strong Bochum side looking forward to derby
In the past eight seasons, only RB Leipzig, as a promoted team, had a better points tally after 14 matchdays than VfL currently has. This is one of the reasons why it is so risky to bet on a clear away win between Bochum and Dortmund. Instead, we expect a thrilling derby in which the Blue and Whites can also rely on a strong record. Only six of the past 30 home games in the German top flight have been lost by Bochum against BVB.
Furthermore, it has to be said that the men from the Ruhr have picked up 13 of a possible 18 points from six home games this season. In no less than four of these six matches, the Reis eleven remained without conceding a goal. The last and only home defeat came almost exactly three months ago with a 3-1 loss to Hertha. The game at the Ruhrstadion will therefore not be a foregone conclusion for the Black and Yellows.
In terms of personnel, the currently best promoted team will still have to do without the long-term injured Zoller, Hartwig, Weilandt and Decarli. Danny Blum, Takuma Asano and Eduard Löwen will also be unavailable at the weekend. Sebastian Polter, on the other hand, will again start from the beginning and try to extend his personal goal record. The attacker has already scored five goals this season, equalling his previous best from Nuremberg (2012/13).
Predicted line-up of Bochum:
Riemann – Stafylidis, Masovic, Leitsch, Danilo Soares – Losilla – Pantovic, Rexhbecaj – Holtmann, Antwi-Adjei – Polter
Last matches played by Bochum:
1st Bundesliga
12/04 2021 – Augsburg 2 – 3 Vfl Bochum
11/27 2021 – Vfl Bochum 2 – 1 SC Freiburg
11/20 2021 – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 0 Vfl Bochum
11/06 2021 – Vfl Bochum 2 – 0 Hoffenheim
10/31 2021 – Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 – 1 Vfl Bochum
Dortmund – Statistics & current form
Alexander Zickler and René Maric will coach BVB from the sidelines in the away match at the Ruhr on Saturday afternoon. Because Marco Rose was sent off with a yellow card in the previous week’s top match against Bayern, the head coach is not allowed to have any contact with the team at the weekend immediately before, during and shortly after the match. However, we think it is unlikely that the Leipzig-born coach’s absence will influence the result in the derby between Bochum and Dortmund.
Instead, it will be a difficult task, especially mentally, for the second-placed team, which lost in Munich the previous week, to live up to their clear role as favourites against VfL, who are strong at home.
Has BVB digested the FCB defeat from the previous week?
The necessary concentration should not be lacking on Saturday anyway, especially as only nine points have been recorded away from home so far. The best home team in the league is only sixth in the separate away table with a balanced record of three wins and three defeats in opposing stadiums. Moreover, because BVB’s win percentage in the Bundesliga is lower than that of VfL only at FC Bayern (17%) and Kaiserslautern (18%), the odds on a three-goal win for the visitors between Bochum and Dortmund are necessarily associated with certain risks.
Apart from the statistics, however, it must also be taken into account that Borussia, which won the Champions League 5:0 during the week, has far more individual quality and has proven more than once in the current season that setbacks do not upset the team over a longer period of time. In addition, Dortmund have a weapon in Erling Haaland who will make life very difficult for the VfL defenders.
Manuel Akanji had to undergo a knee operation and will therefore be missing at the weekend, as will Donyell Malen, who is slowly improving his form. Moukoko, Reyna, Schmelzer and Morey are also still no options.
Predicted line-up of Dortmund:
Kobel – Meunier, Hummels, Zagadou, Guerreiro – Can – Bellingham, Dahoud – M. Wolf, Haaland, Reus
Last matches played by Dortmund:
Champions League Grp. C
12/07 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 5 – 0 Beşiktaş
1st Bundesliga
12/04 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 3 Bayern Munich
11/27 2021 – Vfl Wolfsburg 1 – 3 Borussia Dortmund
Champions League Grp. C
11/24 2021 – Sporting CP 3 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
1st Bundesliga
11/20 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
Bochum – Dortmund Tip
Especially Schalker fans will sit sadly in front of their terminals this weekend. Times when the only true Ruhrpott derby S04 against BVB in the Bundesliga are over. VfL Bochum, who can also point to an impressive home record against Borussia, is now following in the admittedly big footsteps. Only six of the 30 home games in Germany’s top division have been lost by the Blue and Whites against the Black and Yellows.
In our eyes, however, it is relatively likely that defeat no. 7 will be added to the list on Saturday afternoon. Although the Reis team is in excellent form, winning four of their last six league games and going unbeaten at home for over three months, the betting odds between Bochum and Dortmund show that there is a big difference in terms of quality.
We therefore believe that the visitors, who are coached by Alex Zickler and René Maric in the absence of Marco Rose, will record their fourth away win of the season. However, to push the odds up a bit, it is always a good idea to include a goal bet on Haaland in your portfolio.
Our Bochum vs. Dortmund tip is therefore: Win BVB & Haaland scores. At Bet365 we get an exciting 1.86 at the top. We choose seven units as the stake. Alternatively, such a bet can also be placed via the configurator at Bwin.
