Highlights

Matchday 8

FINAL

SIGNAL IDUNA PARK

SV Werder Bremen

BrandtJulian Brandt

67'

D. Brych

SIGNAL IDUNA PARK

0:14

Watch: Emre Can on Julian Brandt's winning goal

Full time! Dortmund 1-0 Bremen

BVB go top, overnight at least! Brandt's goal was the difference as BVB stay unbeaten after eight matches.

90'

+ 5

Blocked!

Reyna plays a sumptuous outside-of-the-boot pass into the box for Haller. He connects on the volley, but again a defender gets in the way. That would have been some goal!

90'

+ 1

Time added on

Into the first of four added minutes. Can BVB defend, or even add to, their lead?

90'

Brandt applauded

BVB's talisman makes way to rapturous applause. Karim Adeyemi, who was in U21 action for Germany during the international break, is on.

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Donyell Malen34.83km/h

Felix Nmecha34.73km/h

Julian Ryerson33.27km/h

90'

Substitution

Karim Adeyemi

Julian Brandt

89'

Reyna!

Ryerson gets to the byline and pulls a ball back for Reyna. The American cuts onto his left foot, before firing into a white shirt amidst half-hearted calls for a penalty.

88'

Borré on for Bremen

Here comes another striker. We're approaching 89 minutes, when Bremen kick-started a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down in last season's corresponding fixture...

87'

Substitution

Rafael Borré

Anthony Jung

85'

Blocked!

Nmecha with another chance inside the penalty area, but his shot is blocked behind. Bremen clear their lines from the ensuing corner.

84'

Nmecha!

The referee plays advantage as Reyna is cut down by Veljkovic. Brandt touches a long ball back to Nmecha on the penalty spot, but the BVB midfielder sends his effort high over the crossbar. That could so easily have been 2-0!

83'

Yellow card

Miloš Veljković

82'

Chance!

Njinmah gets in behind the Dortmund defence, but the angle's against him and Kobel is able to make the stop.

82'

Positive change

Nick Woltemade - a striker - replaces midfielder Romano Schmid. Can Bremen test Kobel in the closing stages?

81'

Substitution

Nick Woltemade

Romano Schmid

80'

Dortmund going top overnight

As things stand, BVB are looking down on the rest of the table, on 20 points. Leverkusen, Bayern and Stuttgart are all in action on Saturday, mind.

77'

Füllkrug hooked

The former Werder striker makes way, with Sebastien Haller on in his stead. Marcel Sabitzer is also on after helping Austria book their place at the 2024 Euros in Germany during the October break. Malen heads off.

77'

Substitution

Sébastien Haller

Niclas Füllkrug

76'

Substitution

Marcel Sabitzer

Donyell Malen

75'

Yellow card

Jens Stage

75'

Expected Goals

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

After those earlier chances not taken by Reus and Malen, you have to say BVB deserve their lead.

xGoals

1.71

0.31

Goals

72'

Hot streak

Brandt's now been involved in a goal in his last seven Bundesliga appearances in a row.

68'

Fresh legs

Njinmah and Lynen were readied before that goal. Can they inspire a comeback? Both have scored from the bench already this season...

68'

Substitution

Senne Lynen

Leonardo Bittencourt

68'

Substitution

Justin Njinmah

Dawid Kownacki

67'

Breakthrough!

Dortmund take the lead! Brandt makes a superb run into the box to collect Can's well-disguised pass, before coolly dinking over Zetterer. What a way to mark his 300th Bundesliga appearance!

67'

Julian Brandt

GOAL!

1:0

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

47 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11.17 m

64'

No penalty

Füllkrug goes to ground between two Bremen defenders as he tries to get on the end of Malen's dinked cross, but the referee is unmoved.

63'

Double change

Bensebaini's on for Wolf at left-back, while Reyna - who scored twice for the US against Ghana in midweek - replaces Reus.

62'

Substitution

Ramy Bensebaini

Marco Reus

62'

Substitution

Giovanni Reyna

Marius Wolf

61'

Yellow card

Leonardo Bittencourt

59'

Half chance!

A speculative cross finds its way to Bittencourt, who drives low at Kobel's goal. Schlotterbeck is in the way, though, the BVB defender taking the sting out of the effort rather than directing it the wrong side of his goalkeeper. That could have been awkward.

58'

Nmecha!

Brandt does really well to win back possession on halfway. He sprays a pass up towards the edge of the box for Nmecha, who turns his man and fires wide via a deflection.

57'

Win probability

BVB are asking all the questions and remain favourites to get the win, with almost an hour gone.

60.9 %

Now

46.6 %

55'

Malen chance!

Brandt gets the ball back after his first attempt at a corner is cleared. He touches it to Reus, who floats a teasng cross into the six-yard box. Malen connects with a side-footed volley, but sends his effort wide of the far post.

53'

Denied!

Brandt's shot is charged down, with the ball ricocheting into the path of Füllkrug. He takes too long, though, allowing Veljkovic to get a toe in.

50'

BVB in charge...

... but Werder continue to frustrate the home side. The problem is, when Werder do attack, they don't really have an outlet.

Possession (%)

6040

46'

Under way again!

Dortmund haven't been held to a goalless draw in the Bundesliga since October 2019 - some 134 matches ago - against Schalke. Will we see a goal in the second half?

Kick-off!

Half-time: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Werder Bremen

Dortmund have had a few good chances in a fiercely contested encounter, but they have been denied so far by the Werder Bremen defence and a number of saves from deputy Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.

Half-time

45'

Malen denied

Another great chance for a Dortmund lead! Donyell Malen gets the ball inside the box and tries to slot it past Zetterer at his near post - bringing another strong save from the Werder Bremen keeper.

44'

Booking for Nmecha

Nmecha slides in to stop a break and is shown a yellow card.

44'

Yellow card

Felix Nmecha

40'

Another Malen chance

Nmecha bursts into the area and cuts the ball back to Malen right in front of goal, but his shot loops up and is saved.

37'

Dortmund edging it

The hosts have enjoyed the better moments but Werder Bremen can be happy with the way they have defended - and the fact they have also threatened.

Goal attempts

4off target

2on target

2off target

0on target

32'

Reus misses big chance

That had to be the opener! A quick passing move opens up the Werder Bremen defence and Brandt turns it past a defender for Reus to strike at short range - but he sends it just the wrong side of the post.

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Donyell Malen34.83km/h

Felix Nmecha34.73km/h

Julian Ryerson33.27km/h

Pre-match silence

Signal Iduna Park fell silent to honour the innocent victims of the conflict in the Middle East in recent days.

24'

Ryerson takes aim

Julian Ryerson has scored in his past two Bundesliga games - and he's gone close again. He sent a dipping effort that curled towards the far bottom corner but Zetterer was across to turn it behind.

21'

Even opening

Dortmund enjoyed the better of the opening 10 minutes, and Bremen have been better thereafter. It's been a high-intensity and thoroughly even encounter so far.

Possession (%)

5149

18'

Ducksch almost dips one in

Werder Bremen win another corner and it's cut back to Marvin Ducksch around the edge of the box. He targets the top corner with a dipping effort that flies just over the bar.

15'

Another good moment for the visitors

Friedel wins the ball high on the left from Brandt and races down the touchline before cutting a good ball into the area, but Dortmund are able to clear.

14'

Bittencourt heads over

Bremen threaten for the first time from a corner and former Dortmund player Leonardo Bittencourt sends a testing header over the bar.

12'

Free-kick on edge of area

Julian Brandt is brought down just outside the corner of the box. Marco Reus whips a cross in from the free-kick, but it sails past everyone and out of play.

10'

Dortmund threaten again

Nmecha lifts a ball over the defence for Reus to run onto, and Malen has an effort deflected behind for a corner.

Malen effort saved

Donyell Malen pings an effort on target from the edge of the box in the first shot of the game. It draws a good save from Michael Zetterer, who is deputising in the Bremen goal.

Dortmund pushing at the start

The hosts have taken the game to Werder Bremen as expected, with a lot of short passes in the opposing half as they seek to work a way through the defence.

Off we go

The match kicks off with the fans in full voice.

Kick-off!

The stadium pauses

Before kick-off a moment's silence was held as a mark of respect for all of the innocent victims of the conflict in the Middle East in recent days.

Kick off approaching

The players are assembling in the tunnel - with Dortmund fans eagerly awaiting the chance for their side to move top of the standings tonight.

The Bundesliga is back

The international break always seems a little too long, if you want our opinion! With a packed stadium in Dortmund belting out You'll Never Walk Alone ahead of a big home match, the Bundesliga is making spines tingle once again.

0:10

Watch: Dortmund in the house

0:19

Watch: Werner & Co. test the water

More on those teams

Julian Brandt returns to the Dortmund starting line-up in place of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, while Füllkrug leads the line against his former club. As for Bremen, ex-Dortmund midfielder Leon Bittencourt replaces the injured Keïta. Olivier Deman comes in on the left-hand side, with Anthony Jung moving into the back three at the expense of Nicolai Rapp. Dawid Kownacki is preferred to Justin Njinmah in attack.

1:39

Watch: Ce-le-brate!

Nico Schlotterbeck scored a stunner against Union, prompting one of the more creative celebrations of the season so far.

2:54

Reyna raring to go?

Gio Reyna scored twice in the US national team's 4-0 win over Ghana and will be hoping to make his second appearance of the season for his club team tonight. Take a look at all his goals and assists so far in the Bundesliga in the video above.

Defence will be key for Bremen

The visitors face a big defensive test tonight at the league's second-highest-scoring side last season. Werder have kept only one clean sheet in their past 19 matches and only three sides have conceded more than them in the opening seven matches of this season (17). Their recent attacking record is good though, as they have scored at least two goals in each of their past five games.

Borussia Dortmund team news

The big injury news from Dortmund on Thursday was the thigh injury sustained by Youssoufa Moukoko (pictured) in action for Germany U21. That came at an unfortunate time for the 18-year-old, who scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Bulgaria U21. If Niclas Füllkrug leads the line, expect the attention to be firmly on his shoulders against his former side.

Werder Bremen team news

The recent injury to summer signing Naby Keïta has opened a midfield berth that Jens Stage is expected to fill - with a goal against Hoffenheim after coming off the bench for Keïta making a solid case for his inclusion. The other big pre-match talking point was who will partner Marvin Ducksch in attack - promising youngster Justin Njinmah (pictured) is expected to get the nod.

Brandt on the brink of 300th Bundesliga match

Julian Brandt (right) is expected to make his 300th Bundesliga appearance tonight. At the age of 27 years and 171 days old, he would become the third youngest player to reach that milestone - Eike Immel of VfB Stuttgart was the youngest, in case you were wondering.

2:03

Watch: Remembering last season's historic encounter in Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 defeat to Werder Bremen on Matchday 3 of the 2022/23 season marked the first time in Bundesliga history that a team leading by two goals in the 89th minute lost the game. Watch the drama unfold once again ahead of this renewed encounter.

Werner's view on Dortmund

“Playing on Friday evening in Dortmund, under the lights, I think that’s the away game you look forward to all year, because it’s just extraordinary in terms of atmosphere, the Bundesliga’s biggest stadium. That’s why I’m looking forward to the game, as we all are.”

Terzić's view on Bremen

“We know of the opponent’s quality, know they haven’t had such an easy period in terms of results, but we also know how dangerous they can be, especially in games against top teams. They’ve often shown that. It’s a bit strange. Last year they started with a lot of wins that were decided late, but this time they’ve suffered two unfortunate late defeats. But when you look at their games, for example against Mainz, you saw the potential in their team. We’re preparing for a very good Werder Bremen tomorrow. But we’re also aware of our role and know we can go top of the table with a positive result tomorrow. Yes, it’s only overnight, but it’s the goal for tomorrow.”

Joint message for peace

The DFL has recommended a minute's silence in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to remember all innocent victims and their relatives after the devastating events in the Middle East. With this joint effort, the DFL and DFB would like to send a common message from German football for peace. Football is a sport that brings people together, which is why we all stand up for peaceful coexistence, respect and tolerance. A fortnight ago, the terrorist attack by Hamas on the people of Israel and the State of Israel began. The DFL is shocked by this terrible attack and the events in the region.

Probable line-ups

Who’s set to play this weekend? Who’s going to miss out? Keep up to date with all the latest team news right here!

2:44

Watch: Füllkrug finding his feet at Dortmund ahead of Bremen reunion

Bundesliga x NFL: Win Dolphins-Chiefs tickets and a legends meet & greet in Frankfurt

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Dortmund on top home form

Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 19 Bundesliga games at the Signa Iduna Park, winning 16 of them. However, their last defeat on home soil was against Bremen on Matchday 3 of the 2022/23 campaign - Die Schwarzgelben were 2-0 up in the 89th minute before conceding three times to lose in the most dramatic of fashions.

2:03

Watch: Bremen 0-2 Dortmund - previous meeting

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens stepped off the bench to help BVB overcome Bremen in February, and avenge their 3-2 home loss from 2-0 up earlier in the 2022/23 campaign.

2:03

Watch: Dortmund 4-2 Union - highlights

Dortmund extended their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season to seven matches, after coming from 2-1 down to beat Union Berlin. BVB have now won their last four and haven't lost in the league since a 4-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on 1 April. Victory on Friday will send them top, overnight at least.

2:03

Watch: Bremen 2-3 Hoffenheim - highlights

Bremen lost at home to Hoffenheim prior to the international break, conceding seconds after scoring an injury-time equaliser through substitute Jens Stage. With six points from seven games, the Green-Whites resume their campaign in 14th place.

0:30

Hello and welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 8 fixture between Dortmund and Bremen.