For the 117th time, and back in Dortmund after eight years: BVB v HSV | OneFootball

The scenario: 2nd against 11th. BVB go into the match nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and eight points clear of third-placed TSG Hoffenheim. HSV are six points clear of the relegation play-off spot.

Home/away: No team has lost fewer home games than BVB, who, like FC Bayern and VfB Stuttgart, have suffered just one home defeat so far. HSV have picked up ten of their 30 points away from home (which is the 13th best away record in the league), and eight of those points have come in their last four away games, in which the team has remained unbeaten (0-0 against St. Pauli, 2-0 at Heidenheim, 1-1 at Mainz, 2-1 at Wolfsburg).

Head-to-head: In their last six Bundesliga matches against HSV, BVB have picked up 16 out of a possible 18 points and, thanks to their recent run of form, narrowly have the upper hand in this fixture (38 wins, 29 draws, 36 defeats), which for a long time was the highest-scoring in the league. In the 103 meetings to date, 365 goals have been scored (185 for BVB, 180 for HSV). In the last six encounters, however, Hamburg have scored just three goals. Borussia have won each of their last three home games without conceding (2-0, 3-0, 3-0). HSV’s last victory was over ten years ago, when they secured a 3-1 home win (goals: Lasogga, Holtby, Hummels own goal – Aubameyang) in 2015.

Statistics: With 22 points, BVB have the best record in the second half of the season. The Black & Yellows have never lost fewer than the two defeats they have suffered so far this season after 26 matchdays. HSV’s greatest strength is their quick transition play from their own half as they have scored ten goals from counter-attacks, which is the best tally in the Bundesliga, alongside Bayern Munich. Hamburg have scored 13 of their 29 goals in the quarter of an hour immediately before or after half-time.

Reverse fixture: BVB dominated the game, but the most dramatic moment of the first half took place in the Dortmund penalty area when Nicolas Capaldo’s header hit the crossbar (39). Carney Chukwuemeka put BVB ahead in the 64th minute, but Ransford Königsdörffer equalised in stoppage time to make it 1-1.