Borussia Dortmund are one of Germany’s biggest and most successful football clubs. The 2017 DFB-Pokal winners have been solid enough this season but Dortmund fans will not be satisfied if BVB fail to finish as runners-up behind Bayern Munich. The Bavarians have been the dominant force in German football for well over a decade now but Dortmund rank up there as one of the country’s strongest teams.
Offensively, Dortmund are blessed with an enormous amount of talent. Michy Batshuayi’s injury has hindered their attacking potential but the likes of Marco Reus, Maximilian Philipp and Shinji Kagawa can fill that void. Batshuayi, on loan from Premier League outfit Chelsea, had notched seven goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund and he will be sorely missed in the closing stages of the campaign.
With just two league games remaining, Dortmund are third in the Bundesliga table – just a couple of points behind FC Schalke. That 2-0 defeat to Domenico Tadelco’s side in March could prove very costly indeed in the race for second spot. As of May 2nd, Dortmund are valued at 2/1 to finish second in bet365’s latest Bundesliga betting markets and plenty of punters will be keen to back BVB in the coming days.
The eight-time German champions have finished second in three of the last five years and supporters will fancy Dortmund to go on and pip Schalke to second place. Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen are both in with an outside chance but it looks like a straight-up dogfight to finish as the ‘next best’ behind Bayern. Ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, Dortmund have a 26-point deficit to claw back in the title race…
Defensively, Dortmund have been found wanting at times this season. BVB have conceded 42 goals in 32 league games; only the sixth best record in the top flight. To put their defensive woes into perspective, Werder Bremen – currently 12th in the Bundesliga – have conceded 39; three less than Stoger’s side. When it comes down to goal difference, normal service is resumed, as Dortmund’s +20 tally is bettered only by Bayern’s +65 ratio.
Finishing second could give Dortmund a major confidence boost ahead of next season; BVB supporters will be expecting to give Bayern a closer run for their money. The Bavarians have won the Bundesliga title in each of the last six years and it would be foolish to back against the defending champions based on that record alone. However, it may take Bayern time to adjust to life under new boss Niko Kovac and Dortmund could profit.
Peter Stoger’s men fell short in their Europa League bid and a second-placed finish is now the primary objective for BVB. Finishing as runners-up in Germany’s top flight would be a fantastic achievement and Dortmund fans will be more than happy with that. Anything less though and we could see changes afoot in the summer. Borussia Dortmund are far too good to be playing third fiddle in the Bundesliga.
