Borussia Dortmund will be looking to move to within three points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich when they welcome high-flying Freiburg to Signal Iduna Park on Friday night.
BVB are currently second in the division, six points behind Bayern on the same number of games (18), while Freiburg occupy fourth, seven points behind their opponents in this match.
Dortmund have not won the Bundesliga since 2012, but they are in touching distance of leaders Bayern at this stage of the season and will be looking to move to within three points of the summit on Friday night.
Bayern’s surprise loss at home to Borussia Monchengladbach last time out would certainly have boosted Dortmund, who will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 success at Eintracht Frankfurt, with BVB scoring three times in the final 19 minutes to secure a huge three points.
A record of 12 wins, one draw and five defeats has seen the Black and Yellows collect 37 points, which has left them six points clear of third-placed Hoffenheim and seven clear of Freiburg in fourth, while they are also crucially eight points clear of fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
Marco Rose’s side face Hoffenheim and Leverkusen in their next two league games after this one and will know that they cannot afford to make too many mistakes in their pursuit of the reigning champions.
Dortmund have been excellent at home this season, winning eight of their nine league matches in front of their own supporters, but Freiburg have the second-best away record in the Bundesliga this term, collecting 15 points from nine matches, with only Bayern gathering more points on their travels
Freiburg have performed well above expectations in the Bundesliga this season, winning eight, drawing six and losing four of their 18 matches to pick up 30 points, which has left them fourth in the table.
Christian Streich’s side finished 10th in Germany’s top flight last term but are currently challenging for a top-four spot, and another strong result on Friday night would aid suggestions that they are capable of finishing in a Champions League position come the end of the season
The visitors have only lost one of their last five Bundesliga matches, with the run including an impressive 2-1 win over Leverkusen before the winter break, but they were held to a 2-2 draw by lowly Arminia Bielefeld on their return to action on January 8.
Freiburg’s home form this season has been inconsistent, with much of their success in 2021-22 built on a strong away record, and they have actually beaten Dortmund in the last two matches between the two teams, including a 2-1 success in the reverse fixture back in August.
Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:
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Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):
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Freiburg Bundesliga form:
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We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Freiburg
This is a very difficult match to call, as Freiburg deserve a lot of respect for their performances and indeed results this season. Dortmund simply have to win in order to stay in touch with Bayern, though, and we are backing the home side to edge a close contest on Friday night.