Borussia Dortmund head into the final game of their Bundesliga campaign on Saturday afternoon having already secured the runners-up spot behind champions Bayern Munich.

However, Hoffenheim make the trip to the Westfalenstadion needing at least a point to have any chance of earning a place in next season's Europa League.

Match preview

Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre before the match against Inter Milan on November 5, 2019 © Reuters

Suffering a surprise defeat at home to Mainz 05 earlier this month put Dortmund at risk of ending an otherwise solid campaign on a low note, despite Champions League qualification having been effectively guaranteed.

However, with that setback being followed by an impressive showing and result at RB Leipzig last weekend, Lucien Favre and his players will be happy to head into their final fixture on the front foot.

Favre would have naturally liked to have been closer to champions Bayern Munich, but more positives than negatives can be taken from a disrupted season.

Had they defeated Bayern at the Westfalenstadion last month, the title race may have turned out differently, and it highlights how close BVB came to ending the long-term dominance of their rivals.

Nevertheless, with Erling Braut Haaland in attack for a full season and new arrivals expected later in the summer, Favre will feel that his squad can finally end their increasing wait for another top-flight crown over the next 12 months.

While Dortmund head into the concluding contest with nothing to play for, the same cannot be said of their opponents, who will be competing in their most important game of the campaign.

With Wolfsburg playing host to Bayern, Hoffenheim know that the door is open to snatch a place in the Europa League after spending recent weeks below the top six.

Since his appointment on an interim basis, Marcel Rapp has witnessed Hoffenheim register six points from three games, a run which featured convincing wins over Augsburg and Union Berlin.

Seven goals were scored during those two victories, three of which came from Moanes Dabour after a disappointing first year at the club.

With Andrej Kramaric also netting for the first time since injury, Rapp will feel that his team are in great shape heading into Saturday's pivotal clash.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form: LWWWLW

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form: WWDLWW

Team News

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho pictured on May 16, 2020 © Reuters

Favre is unlikely to move away from the team which began last weekend's victory at RB Leipzig.

That would mean that Jadon Sancho, who could leave the club during the next transfer window, beginning the contest among the replacements.

While Marcel Schmelzer is a doubt, Thomas Delaney, Manuel Akanji, Mahmoud Dahoud and Marco Reus have all been ruled out through injury.

Barring any late fitness issues, Rapp is likely to stick with the team which began the demolition of Union Berlin.

That would mean a start for Kramaric in a more reserved role than normal, while Christoph Baumgartner would have to make do with a spot on the substitutes' bench.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Burki; Piszczek, Hummels, Can; Morey, Reyna, Witsel, Guerreiro; Brandt, Haaland, Hazard

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Bicakcic, Posch, Hubner; Kaderbaek, Geiger, Grillitsch, Kramaric, Skov; Dabbur, Bebou

We say: Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Hoffenheim

Although Hoffenheim desperately need a positive result, they may struggle to achieve it against a talented Dortmund team playing without any pressure. With that in mind, we feel that the home side will run out convincing winners.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Borussia Dortmund win with a probability of 66.06%. A draw had a probability of 18.6% and a win for Hoffenheim had a probability of 15.38%.

The most likely scoreline for a Borussia Dortmund win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.75%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.53%) and 1-0 (8.27%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.46%), while for a Hoffenheim win it was 1-2 (4.33%). The actual scoreline of 0-4 was predicted with a 0.2% likelihood.