Dream11 Fantasy Soccer: Borussia Dortmund at Paderborn Preview

Game Preview

Borussia Dortmund are coming off a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker earlier this week, and that result extended the differential at the top of the standings to seven points. With six games left to play before this round, Dortmund's title chances seem to be all but over – despite the fact they have gone W4, L1 in their past five contests. Paderborn are also going through their fair share of struggles, however. They sit dead last in the standings with only 19 points, and are nine points adrift the 15th-placed team. It would take a miracle to avoid relegation, but that might not happen; Paderborn have won just four of their 28 Bundesliga contests during the current campaign.

Recent Form

Paderborn: D3, L2

Borussia Dortmund: W4, L1

Team News

Paderborn

OUT: Luca Kilian (thigh), Klaus Gjasula (suspension)

Doubtful: Samuel Fridjonsson (undisclosed)

Borussia Dortmund

OUT: Erling Haaland (knee), Marco Reus (groin), Nico Schulz (groin), Luca Unbehaun (knee), Mahmoud Dahoud (knee), Dan-Axel Zagadou (knee)

Doubtful: None

Expected Lineups

Paderborn: Leopold Zingerle; Jamilu Collins, Uwe Hunemeier, Laurent Jans, Sebastian Schonlau; Gerrit Holtmann, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Sebastian Vasiliadis; Kai Proger, Dennis Srbeny, Christopher Antwi-Adjei

Borussia Dortmund: Roman Burki; Lukasz Piszczek, Mats Hummels, Manuel Akanji; Achraf Hakimi, Emre Can, Thomas Delaney, Raphael Guerreiro; Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt; Thorgan Hazard

Top Picks

Jadon Sancho, Dortmund: Sancho has struggled since the league resumed its course earlier this month, as he has come off the bench in each of Dortmund's last three contests. He delivered an assist in one of the games, however, so he remains as crisp as he's been all season long. He is expected to return to the starting XI due to Erling Haaland's absence, and he might thrive against one of the weakest defenses in the league.

Raphael Guerreiro, Dortmund: Guerreiro has three goals on seven shots in his last three matches, and he has been one of Dortmund's most reliable attacking threats since the league resumed. He might have to take on a more advanced role due to the absence of Haaland, and it wouldn't be odd to see him cracking the scores-heet once again due to Paderborn's defensive problems.

Lineup Strategies

Target volume for Haaland's replacement: Dortmund will miss one of their top players in Erling Haaland, as the youngster suffered a knee injury against Bayern Munich and couldn't recover in time. His absence leaves a huge void up front for Dortmund since they don't have a natural replacement. As such, it's better to try to replace him with volume instead of looking for his substitute. Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt could all end up scoring while playing more advanced.

Kai Proger is Paderborn's most valuable player: Proger has a team-high six assists this season while also adding two goals on 47 shots, 14 interceptions and 172 total crosses. Paderborn are likely to be over-matched in this contest, but out of all their attacking players, Proger seems like the best bet to produce some kind of value.

Captain and Vice-Captain Options

1. Jadon Sancho
2. Raphael Guerreiro
3. Roman Burki
4. Thorgan Hazard

Dream11 Team

GK: Roman Burki

DF: Mats Hummels

DF: Achraf Hakimi

DF: Manuel Akanji

DF: Christian Strohdiek

MF: Raphael Guerreiro (VC)

MF: Thorgan Hazard

MF: Gerrit Holtmann

MF: Kai Proger

FW: Dennis Srbeny

FW: Jadon Sancho (C)

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are of the author and is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn.