Borussia Dortmund are being widely backed to underline their superiority in a potentially high‐scoring friendly against Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday, as both clubs step up preparations for the 2026‐27 campaign.
The match will be played at the Merkur Spiel‐Arena in Dusseldorf at 11:00 local time on 25 July 2026, with Fortuna using the occasion to gauge themselves against one of Europe’s elite, while Dortmund look to bed in new signings and sharpen their patterns of play.
Mahamad Sangare, host of the football debate show La VAR on Burkina Info TV, has given his analysis and prediction for the encounter, highlighting a clear gap in quality but also the particular dynamics of pre‐season fixtures.
Dortmund seek sharp start to summer build‐up
This fixture marks the beginning of Borussia Dortmund’s summer preparation phase. The Black and Yellows come into the match in strong form, having won four and lost just one of their last five outings.
Over that run, Dortmund have scored 13 goals and conceded six, and they are fresh from a 3–1 victory in their most recent game, underlining their attacking threat.
The squad blends established leaders with emerging prospects. Key figures such as Serhou Guirassy, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Marcel Sabitzer, Yan Couto and Julian Ryerson form the backbone of the side, while youngsters including Justin Lerma and Filippo Mane are being integrated as part of the club’s long‐term planning.
Dortmund’s technical level and collective organisation are seen as a major advantage against a Fortuna team now operating outside the German top flight.
Fortuna target test of mettle against elite opposition
Fortuna Dusseldorf approach the friendly in mixed form. In their last five matches, the club have recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats, scoring seven goals and conceding seven. Their most recent outing ended in a 2–0 loss.
Now recently relegated to Germany’s third tier, Fortuna view this “prestige” meeting with a Bundesliga giant as a chance to stress‐test their tactical set‐up and assess how a reshaped squad copes against a higher calibre of opposition.
Head coach Daniel Thioune is expected to field a squad that blends experience and youth. Summer arrivals Dominique Heintz, Jorrit Hendrix, Jomaine Consbruch, Fabian Schleusener and Eric Hottmann are set to provide leadership and structure.
They are likely to line up alongside younger talents such as Louis Lord, Elias Egouli, Hamza Anhari, Kilian Sauck and Mechak Quiala Tito, with the stated ambition of “tenir tete” – holding their own – against top‐flight opposition on home turf.
History heavily favours Dortmund
The head‐to‐head record between the clubs strongly tilts towards Dortmund. Across 12 meetings in all competitions – official and friendly – the Black and Yellows have won seven, with three draws and just two victories for Fortuna.
Their most recent friendly, played on 10 January 2023, ended in a comprehensive 5–1 win for Dortmund, reinforcing a pattern of dominance in this fixture.
Analysts point to Dortmund’s status as a Bundesliga powerhouse, both technically and collectively, in contrast to a Fortuna side now competing in Germany’s third division, as a key factor behind expectations of another one‐sided contest.
Expect goals as pre‐season opens up defences
Sangare underlines that pre‐season friendlies are often shaped by tactical experimentation, wholesale rotations and heavy training loads – conditions that can lead to defensive lapses and open, high‐scoring games.
“Les matchs amicaux de pre-saison sont propices aux essais tactiques, aux larges revues d’effectifs et aux erreurs defensives. Un score fleuve est fortement envisageable,” he notes, suggesting that a flurry of goals is very much on the cards.
While “Dortmund domine sur le papier”, he adds that the physical fatigue from intense summer training can occasionally give underdogs like Fortuna a window to “sauver l’honneur a domicile” – salvage pride in front of their own fans.
Given Dortmund’s recent scoring form, Sangare indicates that the likelihood of the visitors finding the net before half-time is particularly high: “Au vu de la forme de Dortmund marque un but en premiere periode est une probabilite fiable.”
With both sides at different stages of their sporting projects but united in their need to fine‐tune ahead of the new season, Saturday’s friendly is expected to offer an early glimpse of Dortmund’s attacking power and a stern examination of Fortuna’s resilience.
Les cotes peuvent evoluer – betting odds, analysts warn, may shift as team news and fitness updates emerge closer to kick‐off.
