1. Bundesliga
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Played
October 7, 2012 4:30 PM BST
AWD-Arena — Hannover
Referee:‬ P. Gagelmann‎
Attendance:‬ 49000‎
 

Hannover - Borussia Dortmund Preview: Champions face tough trip

Mirko Slomka's side were the last team to beat Jurgen Klopp's troops before their 31-match unbeaten run, and will be hoping to cause another upset

By Enis Koylu

More On :  Borussia Dortmund, Hannover 96, Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund
CL - Manchester City FC v Borussia Dortmund, Marco Reus
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  PROBABLE LINE-UPS
HANNOVER
Roma
Zieler
Cherundolo, Eggimann, Haggui, Rausch
Stindl, Schmiedebach, Pinto, Huszti
Schlaudruff, Ya Konan
DORTMUND
Roma
Weidenfeller
Piszczek, Subotic, F. Santana, Schmelzer
Bender, Kehl
Blaszczykowski, Gotze, Reus
Lewandowski

Hannover will have the luxury of welcoming back Artur Sobiech from injury, but the Poland forward will most likely have to settle for a place on the bench behind Didier Ya Konan, who has been in excellent form of late, and has been keeping Moa Abdellaoue.

However Christian Schulz has a tear in his calf muscle, Adrian Nikci is suffering from illness, and Leon Andreasen has torn his anterior cruciate ligament, and can be expected to be out for quite some time.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp will be forced into one change from the side that were within minutes of beating English champions Manchester City in midweek. Mats Hummels was forced off with a hip injury, and although the extent of the knock is as yet unknown, he seems certain to miss the trip to the AWD Arena.

Elsewhere, Ilkay Gundogan has a back problem, allowing club captain Sebastian Kehl to slot in alongside Sven Bender in midfield. Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski keeping his place alongside Mario Gotze and Marco Reus behind lone striker Robert Lewandowski, and Kevin Grosskreutz remaining on the bench. Patrick Owomoyela remains injured.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  • Hannover beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the third round of the 1991-92 DFB-Pokal en route to winning the tournament.

  • Szabolcs Huszti (pictured, right), re-signed from Zenit St Petersburg this summer, has registered three strikes and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season. Mirko Slomka's side have scored just four goals without the Hungarian's direct involvement.
  • Hannover will approach this game with confidence, having put together a 21-match unbeaten run at home in the league.

  • Hannover were the last team to beat Borussia Dortmund before their 31-match unbeaten Bundesliga run which saw them sweep to a second consecutive Bundesliga title last season.

  • Dortmund have scored at least two goals in at least nine of their last ten matches in the league, with only Nurnberg managing to limit them to one strike.

  • Marco Reus, signed from Borussia Monchengladbach over the course of the summer, scored his sixth goal for his new club in just 10 official games on Wednesday against Manchester City.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Hannover 96 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
    16.13 %
  • Hannover 96 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
    14.96 %
  • Hannover 96 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
    12.61 %
Head to Head
1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Mar 2, 2013 Borussia Dortmund 3 - Hannover 96 1
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Germany - DFB-Pokal ‎(GERC)‎ Dec 19, 2012 Borussia Dortmund 5 - Hannover 96 1
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Oct 7, 2012 Hannover 96 1 - Borussia Dortmund 1
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Feb 26, 2012 Borussia Dortmund 3 - Hannover 96 1
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Sep 18, 2011 Hannover 96 2 - Borussia Dortmund 1
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Last Five Matches
Hannover 96
May 18, 2013Hannover 96 3 - F. Düsseldorf 0GER1
May 11, 2013Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3 - Hannover 96 1GER1
May 4, 2013Hannover 96 2 - Mainz 2GER1
Apr 26, 2013Greuther Fürth 2 - Hannover 96 3GER1
Apr 20, 2013Hannover 96 1 - FC Bayern München 6GER1
Borussia Dortmund
May 18, 2013Borussia Dortmund 1 - Hoffenheim 2GER1
May 11, 2013VfL Wolfsburg 3 - Borussia Dortmund 3GER1
May 4, 2013Borussia Dortmund 1 - FC Bayern München 1GER1
Apr 30, 2013Real Madrid CF 2 - Borussia Dortmund 0UCL
Apr 27, 2013F. Düsseldorf 1 - Borussia Dortmund 2GER1
Odds
Returns: Hannover 96 £510.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Draw £80.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Dortmund £120.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
1Ron-Robert ZielerGoalkeeper
3Karim HagguiDefender
5Mario EggimannDefender
6Steven CherundoloDefender
7Sergio da Silva PintoMidfielder
10Szabolcs HusztiMidfielder
28Lars StindlMidfielder
34Konstantin RauschMidfielder
9Artur SobiechStriker
11Didier Ya Konan Striker
13Jan SchlaudraffStriker
14Markus MillerGoalkeeper
4Hiroki SakaiDefender
20Felipe Defender
24Christian PanderDefender
8Manuel SchmiedebachMidfielder
25Mohammed AbdellaoueStriker
39Mame Biram DioufStriker
1Roman WeidenfellerGoalkeeper
4Neven SuboticDefender
15Mats HummelsDefender
26Lukasz PiszczekDefender
29Marcel SchmelzerDefender
5Sebastian KehlMidfielder
6Sven BenderMidfielder
10Mario GötzeMidfielder
16Jakub BlaszczykowskiMidfielder
9Robert LewandowskiStriker
11Marco ReusMidfielder
20Mitchell LangerakGoalkeeper
24Chris LöweDefender
27Felipe SantanaDefender
7Moritz LeitnerMidfielder
14Ivan PerisicMidfielder
19Kevin GroßkreutzMidfielder
23Julian SchieberStriker
Players to Watch
Szabolcs Huszti
Szabolcs Huszti
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 10
Games Goals YC RC
21 9 6 1
While the likes of Luuk de Jong, Marco Reus and Mario Mandzukic were being touted as the best Bundesliga signings of the summer, Szabolcs Huszti has certainly shown that he deserves that title. The Hungarian has been simply fabulous as Hannover started the season in fine form, providing countless assists and popping up with some goals, including one sensational bicycle kick for his side. Dortmund's defence has been nothing short of chaotic in recent weeks, and the former Zenit man could be in for a fruitful afternoon on Sunday.
Mario Götze
Mario Götze
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 10
Games Goals YC RC
28 10 4 0
Roman Weidenfeller and Marco Reus may have grabbed the headlines in the thrilling draw with Manchester City with their feats in goal and up front respectively, but Mario Gotze was arguably his team's best player, producing a playmaking masterclass and forcing some incredible saves from Joe Hart. The 20-year-old has been in excellent form for both club and country this season, and having got over the injury problems that have plagued him in 2011-12, can be expected to really kick on and showcase his talent.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund may have been in incredible form, particularly in midfield, against Manchester City in midweek, but Jurgen Klopp's side's performance levels have generally dropped after their trips to Europe. What's more, despite losing last week, Hannover have been in fantastic form, and with Mats Hummels missing through injury, Mirko Slomka's side have more than enough firepower going forward to trouble the champions. Accordingly, I'd expect these two teams to play out a thrilling draw.
Editor's Prediction
Hannover 96 2
Dortmund 2
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Stefan Kießling Stefan Kießling
Striker
Leverkusen 		25 4
Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski
Striker
Dortmund 		24 1
Alexander Meier Alexander Meier
Midfielder
Eintracht Frankfurt 		17 3
Vedad Ibisevic Vedad Ibisevic
Striker
VfB Stuttgart 		15 5
Mario Mandzukic Mario Mandzukic
Striker
Bayern 		15 0