Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund: 3 player battles to watch

Borussia Dortmund are in action away to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday for matchday six, aiming to recover from their collapse against Werder Bremen last weekend which ended their perfect start to the season with a whimper. Here are three key player battles to keep an eye on tomorrow:

Julian Ryerson vs Tom Rothe

Dortmund's assist king is yet to find his best this season but he's still making a difference with his domineering runs forward that help them stretch opposition defenses out wide while supplying central players with inviting crosses. In fact, the Norwegian has laid 30 in just four games, a testament to his importance in their offensive plays.

Tom Rothe has played in all five league games for Union Berlin and has a similar profile to Ryerson's. He too loves driving forward whenever he finds space and could be a menacing figure for Dortmund in transitions. So Ryerson will not only have the task of feeding balls to attackers, but also make sure Rother doesn't get to exploit the same channel on the break.

Felix Nmecha vs Andras Schafer

Borussia Dortmund have one of the best box-to-box midfielders on their hands in Felix Nmecha, who can break lines in vertical passing and carry the ball forward well besides also offering a goalscoring threat.

Coming up against him will be Andras Schafer, who will be tasked with impeding Nmecha's runs and preventing him from getting into dangerous positions. He's an excellent tackler of the ball, having made 28 in five appearances for the Iron Ones and marks his opponents well.

If Dortmund are unable to move the ball quickly, we could have a physical contest on our hands in midfield.

Serhou Guirassy vs Felix Uduokhai

With Serhou Guirassy likely to be reinstated into the XI after starting from the bench against Bodo/Glimt, he will carry the single biggest threat for Dortmund. A dangerous penalty-box striker, the Guinean will be looking exploits spaces in behind Berlin's defense with his electric speed.

Felix Uduokhai will have the enviable task of keeping him quiet. But he's a good defender with an aggressive, physical style of play, having made 46 tackles and won 22 aerial duels, which highlight how effective he's in the air too. If Uduokhai is able to deal well with the incoming crosses, Guirassy will be forced to get deeper and involve himself in the build-ups more.

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