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Borussia Dortmund vs. Arminia Bielefeld: probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!

bundesliga.com, 12 March 2022, 18:10
Erling Haaland is on the verge of returning as Borussia Dortmund host precariously perched Arminia Bielefeld and Masaya Okugawa on Sunday (kick-off: 5.30pm CET).
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We haven't seen Haaland in action since the end of January when he suffered a groin strain against Hoffenheim on Matchday 20. It's been an injury-hit season for the Norwegian, but he's been in devastating form when he has featured, scoring 16 times in 14 Bundesliga games. Dortmund didn't appear to be missing him in 3-0 and 6-0 wins over Union Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach respectively, but they were held to a 1-1 draw last time out against Augsburg. The postponement of their Matchday 25 fixture with Mainz last weekend saw Die Schwarzgelben drop to nine points off leaders Bayern Munich, but they do have a game in hand. It has at least allowed Haaland time to return to full training, hinting that he could feature in this game to some extent. However, absentees in defence, with Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Manuel Akanji all touch and go, mean Marco Rose is going to have to put a new backline together. American Lennard Maloney has also been promoted to the first team as cover in central defence.

A quirk of scheduling means that Bielefeld's last game was also against Augsburg, but they were beaten 1-0 at home to be leapfrogged by the Bavarians and slip to 15th. Their cushion over Hertha Berlin in the play-off place is only two points, while it's just three to VfB Stuttgart in the automatic drop zone. Okugawa has scored Arminia's only goal in their last four games, but it did bring a 1-0 win against Union Berlin. The visitors have a lengthy list of players unavailable as well, plus coach Frank Kramer, who will be watching from home. One of his assistants Ilia Gruev or Stefan Kleineheismann will take charge on the Signal Iduna Park touchline. February Rookie of the Month and January winner Patrick Wimmer is a doubt with a knock.

Match stats

With 16 goals in 14 matches, Haaland is averaging a goal every 72 minutes - the best goals-per-minute ratio in this season's Bundesliga.

Marco Reus has spent the last 10 years at Dortmund, and could make his 350th competitive appearance for the club. He's produced 153 goals and 102 assists in his first 349.

Dortmund are averaging a league-leading 2.5 points per home game (P12: W10, D0, L2). They are the only team yet to draw in front of their own fans in 2021/22.

Okugawa has scored two of his eight goals this term against top-six clubs (RB Leipzig and Freiburg).

Arminia have scored 22 goals and failed to fire in nine of their 25 games - an ignominious season low and high respectively.

Bielefeld have more wins against Dortmund (12) than any Bundesliga club they've faced, albeit with the last coming back in March 2007.

Probable line-ups

Dortmund: Kobel - Wolf, Can (c), Pongracic, Schulz - Dahoud, Witsel, Bellingham - Brandt, Malen, Hazard

Out: Akanji (calf), Guerreiro (not included), Meunier (muscular), Morey (knee), Moukoko (hamstring), Reus (ill), Schmelzer (knee), Tigges (ankle), Zagadou (thigh)

Doubtful: Hummels (not included)

Coach: Marco Rose

Bielefeld: Ortega (c) - Brunner, Pieper, Andrade, Bello - Kunze, Vasiliadis - Okugawa, Schöpf, Krüger - Serra

Out: -

Doubtful: Castro (not included), de Medina (not included), Laursen (not included), Nilsson (not included), Ramos (not included), Wimmer (knock)

Coach: Frank Kramer

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