It has been a long week of new for Borussia Dortmund. Earlier this week, fiery, enigmatic manager Jürgen Klopp announced he will not be returning next season. The news was shocking to some but not to others given the poor results that Klopp has achieved this season, likely not earning a spot in the UEFA Champions League, let alone Europe for that matter. Anyway, Borussia Dortmund have to put all this behind them as they host Paderborn this weekend. The Signal Iduna Park faithful will surely give Klopp the farewell he deserves given his successes at the club, but there is a feeling in the air that there will be some tension in the air with the fans and the board seeing as Klopp was a fan favorite of not just the club, but by many soccer fans in the world.

When these two teams met back in November, Dortmund were hoping to use this game against a much smaller team to kick-start their season given their poor start. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck for the visitors just 12 minutes in, and Marco Reus doubled the lead just before halftime. However, another injury to Reus would see him get strechered off the field just after Paderborn pulled one back. The hosts would level it up just nine minutes before time in a result which was obviously a devastating one to Dortmund. 

Last weekend, Paderborn escaped with a 2-1 win over AugsburgElias Kachunga broke the deadlock on 48 minutes only for Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg to level things up just three minutes later. On the hour mark, it would be Srdjan Lakic to put home the winner and move them into the relegation playoff spot in 16th place. Borussia Dortmund on the other hand were outclassed by Borussia MönchengladbachOscar Wendt scored in the opening 30 seconds, Raffael would double the lead thanks to an assist by Patrick Hermann. Things would go from bad to worse as Havard Nordtveit would make it 3-0 before Ilkay Gündogan scored a consolation goal to make it 3-1. In this fixture with Dortmund dealing with loads of injuries, and with Paderborn having something to play for, do not be surprised if their is an upset on the cards even though Paderborn has never beaten Borussia Dortmund in their history. 

Team News:

Borussia Dortmund: The Polish pair of Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukas Piszczek are back in training and could be fit for tomorrow. Up to eight players are questionable including Marco Reus, Adrian RamosNuri Sahin, and Sven Bender

Paderborn: Marvin Bakalorz will be doubtful for the game. 

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.