Borussia Dortmund vs SC Paderborn - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to continue their excellent start to the Bundesliga campaign, Borrussia Dortmund will welcome SC Paderborn to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.

BVB are eyeing a fifth consecutive win this weekend, while the visitors are looking for their first of 2026-27.

Niko Kovac's Dortmund finished runners-up to Klassier rivals Bayern Munich once again last season, but they have made a strong beginning to this term as they seek to take their crown.

BVB kicked off in the German top flight with a 2-0 triumph over Hamburger SV on August 29, before following up with a dramatic 3-2 victory against Hoffenheim a week later.

Kovac's side found themselves two down that day, but mounted an impressive comeback late on, with all three of their goals coming beyond the hour mark.

That win has Dortmund third in the table - two points clear of Bayern - and though it is extremely early in the Bundesliga calendar, they will be keen to avoid letting their lead slip.

With that goal in mind, fans will be buoyed by the fact that BVB also beat Villarreal 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, marking the club's fourth win on the bounce.

Additionally, Saturday's hosts have prevailed in four of their last five home outings, only falling short in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bayern in the Super Cup on August 22. 

Meanwhile, Ralf Kettemann's Paderborn are still on the hunt for their first league win of the season, keen to find a foothold after being promoted.

The visitors finished third in the 2.Bundesliga last term, and fought their way into the top flight by beating Wolfsburg 2-1 on aggregate in the playoff.

However, Kettemann's side have found the step up a serious challenge so far, failing to score in either of their two matches.

Paderborn's opener saw them hold Mainz 05 to a 0-0 stalemate, a commendable result on paper that hid a number of concerning statistics, including the fact that they were unable to register a single shot on target.

The promoted club were more competitive last time out, but they still fell to a 1-0 defeat against Freiburg, despite having the majority of possession and mustering three efforts on goal.

After a marked improvement last weekend, Kettemann will be looking for another step in the right direction on Saturday, though they remain significant underdogs.

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Dortmund will be lighter in midfield than ideal this weekend, given that they are without 18-year-old Samuele Inacio (suspension), Justin Lerma (muscle) and Giannis Konstantelias, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on his Bundesliga debut.

In their absence, expect to see Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha start in the centre of the park, with Ethan Nwaneri and Marcel Sabitzer support striker Serhou Guirassy up top.

Elsewhere, BVB are down a number of centre-backs, including Emre Can (ACL), Filippo Mane (thigh) and Nico Schlotterbeck (ankle), though Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton and Daniel Svensson should be on hand to form Kovac's three-man defence.

As for Paderborn, they are missing centre-back Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant as he works his way to full fitness following a knee injury, so Jano ter Horst, Tjark Scheller and Mattes Hansen look set to start in a back three.

At the opposite end of the pitch, attacking midfielder Sven Michel is dealing with a muscle injury, while right winger Timur Gayret is likely to be sidled until early 2027 due to an ACL injury.

With that in mind, Rayan Philippe and Marvin Pieringer should start in a strike partnership up front, supported by Laurin Ulrich and Gabriel Vidovic.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Svensson; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Beier; Nwaneri, Sabitzer; Guirassy

Noll; Ter Horst, Scheller, Hansen; Curda, Castaneda, Obermair; Ulrich, Vidovic; Philippe, Pieringer

Dortmund have won four matches on the bounce across all competitions prior to this clash, and will be confident of success once again.

Paderborn are likely to walk away empty handed, but scoring in the Bundesliga for the first time this season could offer as a psychological boost for their impending survival fight.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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