German Bundesliga - Paderborn vs. Borussia Dortmund - Preview & Prediction
Rock-bottom Paderborn will have plenty of work to do while hosting 2nd-placed Borussia Dortmund, who just put a dent in their hopes of banking the league by losing to leaders Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Kick-off - at 12:00 noon ET on Sunday, May 31.
Paderborn Draw Third Straight
Paderborn’s hopes of avoiding relegation this season was dealt another blow, as the rock-bottom team was forced to accept a scoreless tie with Augsburg away at WWK Arena on Wednesday, recording its third consecutive draw. The hosts controlled the majority of ball possession (55%), with the team from North Rhine-Westphalia delivering the higher amount of scoring chances, outshooting Die Fuggerstadter 15-12, as Paderborn left winger Gerrit Holtmann led all players in shots (5). Bundesliga’s worst team has now gone winless for nine straight games (D4 L5), has a W4 D7 L17 record for the whole season and finds itself eight points below the relegation play-off spot, sitting nine points off safety altogether.
Attacking duo of Streli Mamba and Dennis Srbeny lead Paderborn with five goals each. Mamba has not found the back of the net for 11 straight games, while four of Srbeny’s five tallies have come in his last seven appearances. Goalie Leopold Zingerle, meanwhile, occupies the 8th place in the Bundesliga in most saves, having stopped 77 shots so far this year. He has picked up five clean sheets in 22 outings this season and concedes a goal every 52 minutes on average.
Dortmund Lose Ground On Bayern
Borussia Dortmund was dealt a blow in their bid to collect their first Bundesliga title in the last eight seasons after dropping a 1-0 home decision against leaders Bayern Munich, who extended their lead at the top of Germany’s top tier to seven points at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday. Both teams made goal-line clearances before Raphael Guerreiro had a snipe ruled out for offside, only for the reigning champions to score what ultimately was the only strike of the game at the end of the first half. BVB have ended a six-game winning streak and remain 2nd in the league with a W17 D6 L5 record, with Bayer Leverkusen sitting just a point away in the 3rd position, albeit having already played an extra game.
Having picked up a knee injury on Tuesday, Norwegian wunderkind Erling Haaland, who has scored 10 markers in 11 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund is ruled out of the trip to Paderborn, leaving fit-again Jadon Sancho for his first start since the coronavirus-enforced hiatus. Sancho, who has made substitute appearances in all three BVB games since the Bundesliga resumption, leads the team with 14 goals and 16 assists. Goalie Roman Burki, meanwhile, sits 19th in the league with 47 saves. He has raked in 10 clean sheets in 25 appearances this season, allowing a goal every 68 minutes of play.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund had to settle for a 3-3 draw with Paderborn when both teams met in this season’s reverse fixture at Signal Iduna Park in November. But do expect BVB to bounce back in this one! Tuesday’s painful 1-0 defeat to league-leading Bayern Munich now leaves the Black-and-Yellows seven points adrift of the top spot, but there is still hope, as well as the Champions League qualifying spot to play for, especially with three other teams currently battling hard for a finish in the top-four. Nine of the previous 11 league victories of BVB have come by at least two strikes, so do consider the favorites for a win with a -1.5 handicap here! With Erling Haaland out due to knee injury, bank on Jadon Sancho to score at least once as well!
Best bets:
Borussia Dortmund to win with a -1.5 handicap (-120)
Jadon Sancho to score anytime (-115)