Dortmund News and Analysis

2024/25 Champions League Predictions for Matchday 2

30Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

2024/25 Champions League Predictions for Matchday 2

Arsenal vs. PSG PSG don't feel like a legitimate Champions League threat in an era without Kylian Mbappe, who seemed to be the only reason why the Parisians were threats to reach the semifinals after Neymar was fully washed on the beach like a sullen hermit crab without a shell. Joao Neves gives PSG reason for optimism, but when your standout attacking player is Ousmane Dembele heading into the year 2025, you don't really stand much of a chance against a Premier League title contender. Arsenal have their own problems after a surprisingly complacent summer transfer window from an attacking perspective, but, then again, you don't need much more than Bukayo Saka and the Champions League version of Gabriel Jesus to dismantle PSG's defense. Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 PSG Aston Villa vs....

Ranking the 9 best goal-scoring Bundesliga seasons of the 2020s decade so far

10Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features

Ranking the 9 best goal-scoring Bundesliga seasons of the 2020s decade so far

Even though the Bundesliga season is actually the shortest of any top five league since there are only 18 teams in the first division, meaning every team plays four fewer games per season, the German top flight has become known for gaudy goal-scoring statistics. But in case anyone keeps trying to apply the "Bundesliga tax" to downplay the accomplishments of top strikers in German football, Erling Haaland quickly dispelled that notion by breaking the single-season Premier League goals record in his first season with Manchester City, scoring more goals (36) than he ever did with Borussia Dortmund. Haaland is actually the only Dortmund player who scored at least 20 goals in a single season in the 2020s decade, and while there's only been four completed seasons in the 2020s, that speaks ...

Bundesliga Predictions: Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg; Dortmund vs. Eintracht; Leverkusen vs. Gladbach

21Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features

Bundesliga Predictions: Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg; Dortmund vs. Eintracht; Leverkusen vs. Gladbach

Will Vincent Kompany start his Bayern Munich tenure with a "W" against Wolfsburg? How many fireworks will we see between Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt in Maximilian Beier's debut? And will Bayer Leverkusen pick up where they left off or will Borussia Monchengladbach awaken from their slumber with a statement in Friday night's opener? Here are the score predictions and preview for the Bundesliga's three biggest battles on Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 season. Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen Although Borussia Monchengladbach are known to be good for a surprise or two and have a new-look attack in 2024/25 with Bundesliga veteran creators Tim Kleindienst and Kevin Stoger joining Gladbach's assist leader Franck Honorat up top, there's no doubt Bayer Leverkusen are the...

Who has the better career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Robert Lewandowski?

13Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A

Who has the better career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Robert Lewandowski?

Strikers have always been the glamor players in world football, and over the last 20 years, few goal-scorers made as many headlines as Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Lewandowski is still going strong as one of the best strikers in Spanish football, likely finishing up his career with Barcelona after forcing a move away from Bayern Munich, where he became one of the greatest strikers of all time. Meanwhile, Zlatan, who also played for Barcelona briefly, is retired and enjoying the next step in his career as an executive for AC Milan, one of his former clubs. In fact, Zlatan played for all three powerhouses of Italian football, but perhaps his period was a largely overlooked tenure in Paris as the first face of the Qatari project before the arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mba...

Ranking the 10 best Bundesliga left backs for the 2024/25 season

6Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features

Ranking the 10 best Bundesliga left backs for the 2024/25 season

The left back position is one of the most talent scarce in world football by virtue of the fact that fullbacks are difficult to find, and especially left-footed fullbacks who can fulfill all the duties a modern-day LB is expected to perform. Although the Bundesliga don't have a great left back for every team in the league, they have quite a few talents at the top who are among the best left backs in all of European football. So here is a look at the 10 best Bundesliga left backs heading into the new 2024/25 season, with breakout stars joining familiar faces like Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and RB Leipzig's David Raum. 10. Phillipp Mwene, Mainz After two seasons of starting in the Europa League for PSV, Phillipp Mwene returned to man the left back position for Mainz. The 30-year...

Ranking the 10 best Bundesliga goalkeepers for the 2024/25 season

4Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features

Ranking the 10 best Bundesliga goalkeepers for the 2024/25 season

Perhaps no league in the world is more famous for creating quality goalkeeping talent than the Bundesliga, and that goes beyond the obvious fact that the literal GOAT of goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer, was made in the Bundesliga at Schalke and became a legend at Bayern Munich. Keepers like Kevin Trapp, Koen Casteels, Peter Gulasci, Lukas Hradecky, Oliver Baumann, Yann Sommer, and now Gregor Kobel have been operating at the highest level for years in the Bundesliga, ranking themselves among the best on the continent. But who are the best Bundesliga goalkeepers heading into a fresh season? Here is a ranking of the top 10 shot-stoppers to know. 10. Alexander Nubel, Stuttgart Alexander Nubel is a pretty recognizable goalkeeper in German football because he was Schalke's captain before movin...

Harry Kane and world football’s 3 unluckiest players

30Jul

By Javier MartinezNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features, LaLiga

Harry Kane and world football’s 3 unluckiest players

All football fans have dreamed of becoming a professional football player and having the experience of playing at the top level. Despite the many perks of becoming a professional, it's not all fun and games for every player. While all players suffer setbacks in their careers, some experience tremendous bad fortune. Whether it was due to injury or always being on the wrong team at the wrong time, some could simply not catch a break. Let's delve into the top 3 footballers who, despite their talent and dedication, encountered remarkable adversity and misfortune throughout their careers. Iñigo Martínez Iñigo Martínez has had a mixed career, often finding himself in difficult situations. While he helped Real Sociedad reach the Champions League in 2013 and the Copa del Rey semifinals in ...

UCL Quarterfinal Predictions: Real Madrid Humbled Again; Arsenal Fairytale Begins; Barça Statement

15Mar

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Premier League

UCL Quarterfinal Predictions: Real Madrid Humbled Again; Arsenal Fairytale Begins; Barça Statement

The matches for the 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinal round have been set. Here is an early look at which teams could advance and which teams will be heading home in this year's UCL. Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich Arsenal's Best Player How could it be anyone other than Bukayo Saka. The 22-year-old right winger is a Ballon d'Or-level talent and one of the most consistent footballers on the planet despite his young age. Even in the Champions League, Saka is colossal, recording three goals and four assists so far in the current campaign, showing he can more than step up to meet the challenge of the highest level of European football. Bayern's Best Player A familiar face to the Arsenal faithful, former Tottenham rival Harry Kane is having a special, potentially record-breaking season fo...

Real Madrid? Juventus? The 5 best transfer destinations for Man United’s Jadon Sancho

26Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features

Real Madrid? Juventus? The 5 best transfer destinations for Man United’s Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho's future at Manchester United seems to be over. His feud with manager Erik ten Hag has become a distraction, and it has gotten to the point where it is a bit ridiculous. Since joining United from Borussia Dortmund in a transfer worth 85 million euros, Sancho has been a disappointment. The flashes of brilliance have been few and far between, with inconsistency being the hallmark of his tenure in Manchester thus far. Despite all he accomplished in the Bundesliga as a legitimately world-class player for BVB, he has built no goodwill to fall back on in Manchester, so his feud with ten Hag is one-sided despite the pressure on the latter. Sancho has a lot to prove. He benefited from open spaces and Dortmund's playing style under Lucien Favre. There is a ton of quality in th...

Ranking the 10 best Dortmund players of all time

27Aug

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features

Ranking the 10 best Dortmund players of all time

Although to many in the mainstream, Borussia Dortmund are the club that just can't help but keep coming short to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, fans of German football understand that Die Schwarzgelben are a powerhouse in their own right, even if they have been in another difficult period since losing Robert Lewandowski to their rivals for free. Dortmund produce some of the world's greatest footballers, with arguably the two best players on the planet right now, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, being BVB products. However, Dortmund's best teams have been about the collective rather than young superstars, with the sides from the late 90s and early 2010s standing out as some of the most special in European football over the last few decades. Stars of those teams will be represe...