Borussia Dortmund vs Hannover 96 Predictions

Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win in Leipzig last weekend was significant for a few reasons: With that result, Dortmund maintained their 6 points lead atop the table. Secondly, it puts minds at rest following their shock 2-1 defeat against Fortuna Dusseldorf last time out on the road. And finally, it was yet another win against one of the league’s strongest sides, only further establishing their dominance within the top four. Forward Paco Alcacer, who has been Dortmund’s “super-sub” with 12 goals this season, may see himself return to the starting lineup on Saturday. New signing Leonardo Balerdi could also make an appearance.

Hannover began 2019 as miserably as they ended 2018. Beaten 1-0 on their own turf by North German neighbours Werder Bremen, Hannover looked deflated and remained three points adrift of safety. And they couldn’t really ask for a tougher fixture to try and turn things around in. Signal Iduna Park is always a tough visit for any side, never mind one that will be without their star player, Niclas Fullkurg. The German forward, who scored the joint third most in the Bundesliga (14) in 17/18, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, so the pressure is on loan pair Wood and Nicolai Muller to get the goals.

Dortmund’s near unprecedented form, and particularly that when they play at Signal Iduna Park, makes it very difficult to look past them for a win here. No team has scored more goals at home than Der BVB, and when you look at their attacking assets, you shouldn’t expect anything less. Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, and Jadon Sancho have all been regular contributors in the 18/19 season, alongside the aforementioned Alcacer, and between them, they’ve led Dortmund to score at least two goals in every home match this term. As the saying goes, “Goals win games.”, and that’s where Hannover have really been struggling, so for us the value here looks in backing them to win ‘to nil’ (ie, Dortmund to win and Hannover not so score).

Hannover are having it really tough at the minute, and last weekend’s defeat was their fourth consecutive defeat ‘to nil’ in front of the home fans. Overall, Hannover have scored just two goals in their last six Bundesliga outings – failing to score in four of these (67%) – so it’s hard to see them breaking that trend against the Bundesliga’s joint best defense. How many Dortmund will score is the real question, and with Hannover conceding two or more in six of their nine away days so far, we should expect a few. Our prediction: 3-0 Borussia Dortmund.