Bundesliga: Dortmund’s latest Tilt for Glory starts with Frankfurt

Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt

The new-look Borussia Dortmund kick off their 2024/25 campaign on Saturday in a blockbuster clash at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. And the famous Yellow Wall will, once again, be full of hope and expectation.

It’s one of the big matches of the weekend, and Bundesliga: Dortmund vs Frankfurt will also see the first match of new BVB manager Nuri Sahin’s reign at the Signal Iduna Park. The former Shwarzgelben playing star has signed a three year deal and fans will hope he might be the man to bring the title back to Dortmund for the first time in over a decade.

In that time BVB have pushed Bayern Munich the closest; and it must have been hugely frustrating to watch Bayer Leverkusen become the team to eventually rip the title from the Bavarians’ grasp. But this is a new season and a new chance.

It’s a tough start for Sahin to face Dino Toppmoller’s Eintracht Frankfurt in their first game and both teams come into the game on the back of a 4-1 away win in the DFB Pokal; so we have a cracker in store on Saturday and, as always, the Signal Iduna will be packed to the rafters…and bouncing.

Talking Points

Dortmund have bought well

Sahin was a leader on the pitch, playing over 200 times for Die Schwarzgelben and he says he is a perfectionist as a coach, cutting his teeth with Antalyaspor in the Turkish league… and now he has an early shot at the big time. BVB are third favourites to win the 2024/25 Bundesliga title at a SBOTOP price of 15.00 and Sahin’s team are the most likely disrupters to a race between 2024 champions Bayer Leverkusen and 2025 favourites Bayern Munich.

The club has been busy in the transfer market and a handful of new players are likely to feature in their Bundesliga opener. Defender Waldermar Anton and midfielder Pascal Gross both started in the 4-1 win over Phonix Lubeck last week, Anton getting a goal, and they could be joined by wingback Yan Couto on Saturday. Striker Serhou Guirassy, who had a phenomenal season at Stuttgart last season, will have to wait though as he is nursing a knee injury so Max Beier is likely to get the nod. These new stars will add to an already talented squad with the experience of the likes of Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt in the ranks and young Jamie Gittens ready to start after an injury hit season last term.

There is plenty of optimism around the club now, since the arrival Sahin, the youngest head coach in the league at 35, and now it‘s time to show what they can do.

Big season for Ekitike

Hugo Ekitike scored two goals and provided one assist during the 2023/24 Bundesliga season — Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike makes an overhead kick during the Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig

The Eagles finished sixth last year and their head coach Toppmoller is equally determined to ensure the Eagles are in the top four mix this season. He has a strong squad to go into the campaign with and one player I expect to feature heavily in the Dortmund vs Frankfurt highlights is 22 year old forward Hugo Ekitike, who has made his loan permanent, having arrived from Paris Saint-Germain last February. The 22 year old scored four goals in his 14 appearances last season and he scored a double in the Eagles’ 4-1 win over Braunschweig last week. He’s a quick and direct striker, at 6ft 2in strong in the air and with quick feet, and this could be Ekitike’s breakout season.

Defender Rasmus Kristensen, on loan from Leeds United, also featured in the DFB Pokal win and he is in line to start, while attacking midfielder Mario Gotze could well start against his former club.

History

Borussia Dortmund have won the Bundesliga eight times, most recently in 2011 and 2012, and they came agonisingly close in 2023 when a win at home to Mainz would have won the title, but Dortmund choked and drew 2-2. Frankfurt had their one and only Bundesliga win in 1959, but they have been European regulars, winning the Europa League in 2022.

With 33 wins to 11 BVB have bossed this relationship over the years and are unbeaten in their last six meetings with the Eagles, and they won this fixture 3-1 last season as Gotze scored for Frankfurt in answer to Karim Adeyemi, Emre Can and Mats Hummels.

That was then and this is now; so let’s take a look at the Dortmund vs Frankfurt betting odds and make a call.