Overview
Coach Niko Kovac's team just suffered a 0-1 defeat to Monchengladbach, in a match where Dortmund only launched a single shot on target in injury time at the end of the first half. That lackluster performance further raised concerns about the performance of the Signal Iduna Park home team.
Dortmund has lost 3 of their last 4 matches in all competitions and is goalless in 2 of those matches. Disappointing results have gradually closed the 2025-2026 season of the yellow-black team in a way that is not as expected.
Dortmund's defense also leaves many worries. Although only conceding 4 goals in the last 4 matches, they have repeatedly fallen into a state of loss of control against opponents such as Monchengladbach, Stuttgart or RB Leipzig and could completely concede more goals.
However, Dortmund still has goals to fight for. If they win both of the last rounds of the Bundesliga, they will finish the season with the highest score in the past 7 years, despite not winning any major titles.
The match against Frankfurt is also Dortmund's farewell to their home ground in the Bundesliga this season. Dortmund's home record is still very impressive when they won 12 out of 16 matches, only losing to Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
On the other side of the battle line, Frankfurt just suffered a regrettable 1-2 defeat to Hamburger, despite being the team to open the score first. The "Green Eagles" let their opponent score 2 goals in just the first 12 minutes of the second half and went empty-handed right at home.
Currently, Freiburg is only one point behind Frankfurt in the race to win a Conference League spot. However, Frankfurt's season-end schedule is considered extremely difficult when they have to face Dortmund and Stuttgart in turn.
Coach Albert Riera is certainly not satisfied with the current form of his players. Frankfurt has gone through 3 consecutive matches without a win, two defeats, 6 goals conceded and only scored one goal per match in this series of matches.
Frankfurt's away form is also not really convincing. They have only won one of their last 10 away matches in the Bundesliga and suffered four defeats during that time.
In the first leg in January, the two teams drew 3-3 in an exciting score chase. However, Dortmund once defeated Frankfurt on penalties in the second round of the German National Cup in October 2025.
Personnel situation
Dortmund will not have the service of key striker Karim Adeyemi in the match against Frankfurt due to a muscle injury. In addition, the defense of the Signal Iduna Park team also suffered a great loss when Ramy Bensebaini, Emre Can and Niklas Sule have not yet recovered.
In the context of a weakened force, Kovac is likely to continue to place his trust in Serhou Guirassy in attack. Supporting this striker will be the duo Julian Brandt and Maximilian Beier.
In defense, Dortmund plans to use a three-center-back formation with Luca Reggiani, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck in front of goal.
The home team's midfield is also facing difficulties as Felix Nmecha faces the risk of being out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. This makes Marcel Sabitzer and Jobe Bellingham almost certainly start in midfield.
On the other side, Frankfurt also suffered significant personnel losses. Right-back Rasmus Kristensen was suspended after a red card in the match against Hamburger and will not be able to participate in the away match to Dortmund.
Meanwhile, striker Jonathan Burkardt has not yet reached his best physical condition after a long period of struggling with injuries. However, the German striker is now ready to return and may start from the beginning in his 16th start in the Bundesliga this season.
Expected lineup:
Dortmund: Kobel, Reggiani, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson, Sabitzer, Bellingham, Svensson, Brandt, Beier, Guirassy.
Frankfurt: Zetterer, Amenda, Koch, Theate, Brown, Uzun, Larsson, Hojlund, Doan, Burkardt, Bahoya.
The match between Dortmund and Frankfurt takes place at 1:30 a.m. on May 9 (Vietnam time).
