Bundesliga 2020/21: TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Dortmund – tactical analysis

The PreZero Arena hosted a tight contest in the Bundesliga between TSG Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund. This tactical analysis will break down the game that ended as a 1-0 victory to Dortmund.

Hoffenheim, led by Sebastian Hoeness, are having a very respectable start to the season under the new manager’s stewardship. Before this game, they had won their opening two games and only lost to the then top of the table Eintracht Frankfurt. In this analysis, we will discover how Hoeness’ tactics resulted in a narrow loss for die Kraichgauer.

Borussia Dortmund, managed by Lucien Favre, had the same record as Hoffenheim heading into this fixture, except they had a disappointing loss against Bundesliga minnows Augsburg. Favre has been experimenting with youth in his starting lineup so far this campaign, starting new signing Jude Bellingham in the first three league matches. This analysis will take a deeper dive into how they won this game, despite missing key men in defence.

Lineups

Hoffenheim (3-4-3): Oliver Baumann; Stefan Posch, Kevin Vogt, Kevin Akpoguma; Sebastian Rudy, Diadie Samassékou, Dennis Geiger, Robert Skov; Ihlas Bebou, Ishak Belfodil, Mijat Gaćinović.

Hoeness had plenty of injuries to contend with in the build-up to this fixture, including Benjamin Hübner, Ermin Bičakčić, Havard Nordtveit, Konstantinos Stafylidis and most importantly, Andrej Kramarić due to a positive coronavirus test. Belfodil returned to the lineup to make his first Bundesliga start in 391 days after requiring surgery in his knee which put him out of action for a prolonged period. Gaćinović also made his first league start for Hoffenheim in this game, fitting in as a left-winger against die Schwarzgelben. The rest of the side remained relatively unchanged, lining up in the same formation as the previous two fixtures.