Preview: Jurgen Klopp aiming for consistency to maintain top spot
Borussia Dortmund manager, Jurgen Klopp would be hoping to see his side perform at the same level at which they did before the international break.
As things stand, last season’s second best team in Germany is on top of the league, boasting a perfect record and a very good goal difference. However, a good early start is something that the team should build on in a bid to make it difficult for rivals Bayern Munich to retain their crown.
The loss of Mario Gotze it appears, has not affected the team at all with summer signings, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan seamlessly slotting in, scoring five goals in the league between them. After being beaten to the title last season, BVB are looking stronger than ever which means that this season’s run-in is likely to be a mouth-watering prospect.
And Dortmund’s defence has been strong as well with the backline conceding just two goals in four games which means that the task for Hamburg is a mammoth one to say the least.
Hamburg SV are the only club in Germany to have been an ever-present in the German Bundesliga since its inception back in 1963. And the Dinosaur (as they are nicknamed owing to their old age) is also one of the most successful clubs in Germany. However, the past few years have not been kind on the Hamburg who have constantly spent the past few seasons just watching the likes of Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, BVB and others becoming stronger than ever before.
The start to the new season has not given fans a reason to smile about either with the club earning just one point from the first three games before registering their first win of the campaign against newly-promoted Eintracht Braunschweig.
Star striker, Robert Lewandowski injured his knee during the World Cup qualifier against Montenegro and was later diagnosed with tendonitis which means that the Poland international is certainly out of the encounter.Marco Rues and Marcel Schmelzer are also major doubts for the clash.
Hamburg’s talismanic captain Rafael van der Vaart is in doubt for the game against BVB. The former Real Madrid man missed out on a place in the Netherlands squad due to a thigh strain and his club manager, Thorsten Fink has admitted that the midfielder might not feature on Saturday.
However, his absence might give a chance to a promising talent in the shape of Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu. The teenage midfielder made his debut for the national side in the 5-0 win over Andorra and also scored twice in that game when coming off the bench. At the age of 19, the midfielder is a huge talent and the game against Dortmund might be a chance for him to show his immense potential.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live Scores
Watch Borussia Dortmund vs Hamburg SV live on Saturday, September 14, 2013:
In USA at 12:30 ET on Gol TV USA
In UK at 17:30 on BT Sport 1
Fans in other parts of the world can watch the match live on their local channels. Those in Australia can watch the match live on Setanta-i Australia, whereas fans in Canada can catch the action live on GolTV Canada.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Borussia Dortmund vs Hamburg SV match page.
