Niclas Füllkrug and Serhou Guirassy to do battle as Borussia Dortmund host Werder Bremen
On Friday, the Bundesliga returns as Borussia Dortmund host Werder Bremen to kick off Matchday 5 of the 2026/27 campaign. The clash will pit two leading strikers against each other in Serhou Guirassy and Niclas Füllkrug, who will face BVB for the first time since his 2024 departure...
Heading into this fixture, Dortmund find themselves in an unfamiliar position, especially in recent seasons, as they lead the Bundesliga having won all four games to open a two-point buffer over Bayern Munich. Several players have grabbed the headlines, such as Felix Nmecha and Fabio Silva, but Serhou Guirassy has gone about his business with familiar efficiency.
In five games in all competitions, he has found the back of the net four times, more than any of his teammates. He also has four assists to boot, two of which have come in the Bundesliga, already matching his tallies in each of the past two full campaigns.
His understanding with Silva, in particular, has paid dividends, with Guirassy creating both of his strike partner’s league goals in 2026/27. As a result, the Portuguese has shown his appreciation for the Guinea international, saying before the international break, “I play better when I play alongside him.
“We can create more space for each other. We create more chances and have a stronger presence in the penalty area”.
The assists point to a new, more involved Guirassy this term. Seeing him lead the way in shots for Dortmund with 13 is hardly a surprise, but he has also created a team-high seven chances to boot. He may be adding another level to his game, which is impressive given he has 64 goals in 102 BVB games and 83 in 138 Bundesliga games throughout his career.
In contrast, Füllkrug is finding his feet once again following a difficult couple of seasons. The centre-forward once led the line for Dortmund, even playing the full 90 minutes of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final in what was his final game before his switch to West Ham in the English Premier League.
However, in 2024/25, injuries reduced him to just 20 games in all competitions, and only three goals, while last term produced just one strike in 29 games, 20 of which came on loan at AC Milan.
They were the first barren years Füllkrug had experienced in a while. After all, he was Dortmund's top scorer, with 15 goals in 43 games during his sole season at the club. In what is now his second of three stints at Bremen, he was prolific, jointly winning the 2022/23 Bundesliga Golden Boot with 16 goals in 28 outings after firing the Werderaner to promotion the previous term with 19 efforts in 33 Bundesliga 2 outings.
Internationally, he has also performed at the highest level. His record of 14 goals in 24 Germany caps is fantastic, and he scored three FIFA World Cup strikes in just two outings at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
It seems a return to familiar surroundings has got Füllkrug back to his best. Alongside a goal in the DFB Cup first round, he already has three goals in his opening four Bundesliga matches of the term, helping Werder to a respectable seven points so far.
At Signal Iduna Park, he has a point to prove, too. Upon his exit to West Ham, Füllkrug said Guirassy's arrival made it difficult for him to stick around. “There are various reasons why I started thinking about a transfer in the first place. A transfer like that which BVB made is not the greatest vote of confidence for me.
“It's very important for me to be at a club where I play a central role, where I'm important. Where the style of play is also geared towards me to a certain extent,” he further explained.
Now, not only could he net for a fourth successive Bundesliga game, which would be a personal record, but he will be eager to find the back of the net for the first time in his career against Dortmund. Guirassy, though, will also be hungry to further show why BVB acquired his services two years ago, making their match-up a personal encounter to look forward to in the next round of Bundesliga action.
