Borussia Dortmund v Hamburg preview: runners-up open at home against top-half hopefuls | OneFootball

According to BuLi News, Borussia Dortmund open their Bundesliga campaign at home to Hamburg on Saturday evening, seeking to go one better than last season’s runners-up finish.

Last term’s seven-year high points haul still fell short, so Dortmund have added Greek duo Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias. They lost 2-1 to Bayern in the Supercup, but a late Maximilian Beier chance could have forced extra time.

A delayed DFB-Pokal tie at fifth-tier Hamburg-Eimsbütteler arrives midweek, and players may be rested. Dortmund have not lost to Hamburg for 11 years.

Serhou Guirassy will look to continue where he left off after scoring his 17th Bundesliga goal on the final day to finish Dortmund’s top scorer for a second straight season. Niko Kovač expects a compact Hamburg who transition well and carry threat up front. Emre Can is out with a knee injury and Nico Schlotterbeck is sidelined with an ankle problem.

Hamburg began with a 3-0 DFB-Pokal win at third-tier side Verl, where summer loanee-turned-permanent Albert Grønbaet struck twice for only his second and third goals for the club. They have not won any of their past seven meetings with Dortmund. New signing Patson Daka from Leicester will try to replace departed forwards Damion Downs and Davie Selke, while Merlin Polzin says his team must deliver from the start and that Dortmund have grown more variable.

Miro Muheim has a muscular injury, with Emir Sahiti and Warmed Omari also out. Alexander Røssing-Lelesiit misses out with an ankle injury.

Source: BuLi News

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