Dortmund vs Hoffenheim: A Battle of Strikers in Sinsheim

In Sinsheim, some strikers just feel at home. Serhou Guirassy is one of them.

The BVB forward has scored in each of his last four away appearances there, turning this corner of the Bundesliga map into his own personal comfort zone. On Matchday 30 of last season, he struck late again, levelling at 1-1 in the 87th minute and seemingly rescuing Dortmund. It still wasn’t enough. Andrej Kramaric buried two handball penalties – one on 27 minutes, the other deep into stoppage time at 90+8 – to drag Hoffenheim to their first home win over the Black and Yellows since December 2019.

That is the duel in microcosm: Dortmund usually on top, Hoffenheim refusing to go quietly.

Kramaric, of course, has built an entire chapter of his career on tormenting BVB. The Croatian has scored 11 goals in 18 Bundesliga games against Dortmund, including that four-goal masterclass away in June 2020 and the penalty double mentioned above. Only against Hertha BSC has he found the net more often in the league. Give him a sliver of space around the box and history says he punishes it.

Dortmund, for their part, rarely leave Sinsheim empty-handed in attack. They have scored in each of their last 14 matches there, a streak that underlines how often they manage to impose their football on this fixture. The problem lies at the other end. Across 18 away games in Sinsheim, they have managed a clean sheet only twice. Openings appear, gaps widen, and the scoreboards get busy.

The numbers between these two clubs tell a story of constant friction. Across 36 Bundesliga meetings, there have been nine red cards – proof that this is not a gentle, chess-like rivalry but a series that often boils over. Dortmund hold the edge overall with 16 wins, 11 draws and nine defeats, yet the goal difference is a razor-thin 58:52 in their favour. Their “biggest wins” are three different 3-1 scorelines. No hammerings. No walkovers. Just tight, hard-fought battles that rarely allow either side to relax.

So what decides the 37th chapter? The answer may come from long range.

On the opening matchday of this season, only SC Freiburg attempted more shots from outside the box (11) than Borussia Dortmund (nine) and Hoffenheim (seven). Both sides showed a clear willingness to pull the trigger early when the penalty area felt crowded. Dortmund’s efforts against HSV failed to produce a goal, but the intent was unmistakable.

Hoffenheim, by contrast, already have a highlight reel from distance. Adam Daghim marked his first Bundesliga appearance for the club with a long-range strike to make it 1-0 in Cologne, a moment that cut through the noise and briefly silenced the RheinEnergieStadion before the game eventually finished 3-2 to FC. One shot, one clean hit, and a clear warning: leave him space, and he’ll use it.

Put all of that together and the script almost writes itself. Guirassy thriving in Sinsheim. Kramaric thriving against Dortmund. A fixture that rarely stays calm, rarely stays goalless, and rarely feels settled until the final whistle.

If the past is any guide, this won’t be decided by caution. It will be decided by whoever dares to strike first – and from furthest out.