Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund

Vonovia Ruhrstadion is the venue as Bochum and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in a lopsided Bundesliga contest.

Bochum just barely salvaged their Bundesliga status last term, but another season-long fight against the drop awaits Thomas Letsch’s side in all likelihood. Tipped for one more dreaded campaign in the lower reaches, ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ opened the season with an embarrassing 5-0 loss at Stuttgart. The hosts slumped to a penalty shoot-out defeat to lower-league Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal a fortnight ago following a 2-2 draw in regulation time. Bochum’s upcoming return to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion offers under-pressure Letsch a glimmer of hope that his side could bounce back from a woeful start, as they’ve only lost four of their last 14 home league outings (W8, D2).

On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund’s life without Jude Bellingham has been off to a dream start as Edin Terzic’s team followed a thumping 6-1 DFB-Pokal win over lower-league Schott Mainz with a late 1-0 home triumph over Cologne in their Bundesliga opener. However, ‘Die Borussen’ must go a long way to forget last season’s heartbreaking finale, where they surrendered the crown to bitter rivals Bayern Munich, courtesy of a 2-2 home draw against Mainz. Before dismantling Augsburg 3-0 on last season’s final Bundesliga road trip, Dortmund had gone winless in four consecutive away league matches (D3, L1), casting doubt on their bid to maintain a perfect start to the 2023/23 campaign.