Matchday in focus: Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

All you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s cup fixture, including team news and Eintracht’s impressive home record in the cup.

Tactics

Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac prefers a three-man backline in front of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, with Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini the preferred trio in recent weeks.

Daniel Svensson and Julian Ryerson are the first-choice wing-backs, Felix Nmecha has established himself in central midfield, and Karim Adeyemi and Carney Chukwuemeka occupy the attacking positions further forward. It is unclear whether star striker Serhou Guirassy will play, though. “Serhou might get a rest,” Kovac said at his pre-match press conference.

That could mean a start for Maximilian Beier, who netted a stoppage-time winner for Dortmund against Cologne at the weekend.

Eintracht boss Dino Toppmöller is wary of the opposition’s attacking might, saying: “BVB’s improvement under Niko Kovac has been quite remarkable. They’re disciplined, hard-working, dangerous in front of goal and in very good form. Against Köln, you could tell they have that little bit of luck on their side at the moment, which they work hard for and deserve. We know we’re up against a powerful side.”

Kovac is equally aware of the Eagles’ threat: “We know that there’s a lot of potential in Frankfurt’s team. We’ll have to implement our game from the first minute right through to possibly the 120th minute.”

Absentees

Elias Baum and Oscar Højlund will both miss out for Eintracht with injury.

For Dortmund, Emre Can and Julien Duranville are also both in the treatment room.

One to watch: Daniel Svensson

The 1.83-metre Swede, who joined Dortmund from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland in February 2025, is one of the most promising players in BVB’s squad. A versatile left-sided specialist, he also helps organise the centre of midfield, bringing dynamism and structure to the team. The 23-year-old made his Champions League debut for Dortmund and scored his first goal in the competition against Bilbao. Furthermore...

Facts and figures

The Eagles have progressed to the next round in each of their last eight home games in the DFB Cup.

Eintracht have lost all three cup meetings against Dortmund this century, most recently a 2-1 reverse in the 2016/17 final, when current BVB boss Kovac was in the Frankfurt dugout.

The last time Frankfurt beat Dortmund in the DFB Cup was in the 1978/79 round of 16. 

Reunions

Kovac led Eintracht to two DFB Cup finals.

Hugo Larsson and Svensson are team-mates at international level for Sweden.

Farès Chaïbi and Bensebaini play together for Algeria.

Nnamdi Collins and Ansgar Knauff both came through Dortmund’s youth academy and made their professional debuts for the club (Collins did so in the reserve side).

Mario Götze recorded over 100 direct goal contributions in 219 competitive outings for Dortmund, while Mo Dahoud and Michy Batshuayi also previously laced their boots for BVB.