This weekend brings the final set of exhibition matches before the big five leagues in Europe get going in their 2023-24 seasons. Therefore you have a set of interesting international friendlies, with Borussia Dortmund versus Ajax one of the most compelling on Sunday’s slate.
Dortmund are coming off a midweek score draw with Chelsea, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL.
Club Friendly FYIs
Ajax vs Borussia Dortmund
Kickoff: 5pm CST Sun. Aug. 6, ESPN+
Where: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Borussia Dortmund Previews: Starting XI Prediction Team News
BVB-Chelsea News and Notes: Part 1 Part 2
It was a clash that saw both sides field pretty strong first teams, i.e. lineups that are pretty close to the starting 11s that they’ll go to war with this upcoming season. Expect the same thing tomorrow when Dortmund takes on the Dutch powerhouse.
This is the first team prediction we are going with, but we also considered starting roles here for a trio of players that we left out: Julian Brandt, Ramy Bensebaini and Salih Ozacan.
Borussia Dortmund Starting XI Prediction vs Ajax
Meyer; Wolf, Sule, Hummels, Ryerson; Can, Sabitzer; Malen, Reus, Adeyemi; Haller
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2, Ajax 2
Always hard to predict how a friendly will go, especially when this BVB side is so injury-riddled, but we’re going to say it’ll be another draw, just like on Wednesday.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.