Borussia Dortmund start their 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign against FC Koln on Saturday. They narrowly missed out on the title last season, finishing behind champions Bayern Munich on goal difference. Meanwhile, FC Koln finished 11th last term, 29 points behind the runners-up.
Borussia Dortmund easily defeated fourth-tier Schott Mainz 6-1 in the first round of DFB-Pokal, dominating possession with 73% and 24 shots, while limiting the hosts to only one attempt on target. With their focus now on Bundesliga, Dortmund aims to redeem themselves after losing the title to Bayern Munich in the previous campaign despite leading for most of the 2022-23 season.
The Black and Yellow team won 14 games and drew four out of 19 league outings after the World Cup break. However, a 2-2 draw with Mainz on the final day gave Bayern the title. Bayern secured an 11th successive top-flight crown by scoring an 89th-minute winner against FC Koln. Edin Terzic’s team can take immense confidence from last season’s efforts despite the disappointment of losing the title at the eleventh hour.
Koln won only 4 of their 19 away league matches last season. They recorded 7 draws and 6 defeats. In contrast, Dortmund had the best home record in the league, losing only one of their 19 home matches at Signal Iduna Park. FC Koln had a promising pre-season with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss across six warm-up matches. They will aim to improve on their 11th-placed finish from last season.
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