Frankfurt v Dortmund Betting Tips: Olympiastadion to witness goals in DFB-Pokal Final

The main event in Germany on Saturday evening sees both Frankfurt and Dortmund travel to the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the DFB-Pokal final where the latter will be looking to break something of a cup final hoodoo. Having finished runners-up in each of the last three renewals of this competition, Dortmund will be hoping it’s a case of fourth time lucky for them, while Frankfurt will be hoping to reclaim a title that they last won back in 1988.

On paper, Dortmund are the massive favourites here but, thanks to what has been a shaky back-line this season, things might not be as straightforward as the pre-match betting suggests. The bet that stands out is ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’. 

When it comes to goals, Dortmund are never far away, although they’re usually more associated with scoring them rather than anything else. However, during this season, as well as scoring plenty, Thomas Tuchel’s men have also conceded more than their fair share. As a result of playing a high-tempo, attacking game, Dortmund are often caught short at the back and their defensive frailties have been exposed time and time again in recent months. They may well have scored the second-highest amount of goals in the top-four this season, but they also conceded the most, and come into this fixture having failed to keep a clean sheet in nine of their last ten in all competitions.

Over the course of the league season, both teams scored in 68% of Dortmund’s games – a stat that could only be bettered by Werder Bremen. On top of this, ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ landed in 62% of their matches, as well in 65% of their matches away from Westfalenstadion. Of course, a lot of these goals come from the embarrassment of riches that Tuchel has at his disposal in the attacking third, but a leaky defence also played it’s part too. What’s more, Dortmund have both scored and conceded in each of their two matches against top-flight opposition in the cup this season.

As for the opposition, well, Frankfurt aren’t exactly a team blessed with tremendous firepower and they’re certainly not able to match Dortmund for goal-scoring exploits. Having said this, Niko Kovač’s men are no mugs and should enjoy playing on the counter. Furthermore, when Frankfurt hosted BVB earlier in the campaign, they were able to take advantage of the visitors’ defensive problems before coming out on top by two goals to one. Such a result will undoubtedly fill the team who finished in a modest 11th position with plenty of confidence ahead of this match, as will the fact that they managed to score four goals in their last two league fixtures of the season, as well as at least once in four of their five DFB-Pokal matches this season.

All in all, Dortmund are expected to triumph in this final, but it’s unlikely to be a win devoid of complications and so goals are expected from both teams. After all, a clean sheet has remained elusive in each of Dortmund’s last five victories in all competitions.

Click here to read tips for Saturday’s Copa del Rey final.