Christian Pulisic is set to make his 100th competitive appearance for Borussia Dortmund in Hannover on Friday (kick-off: 8.30PM CEST/ 6.30PM GMT/ 2.30PM ET).
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Hannover have a new fairy tale to tell after Hendrik Weydant - who was playing in the fourth division last season and the seventh tier as recently as four years ago - stepped off the bench to give the Reds the lead against Werder Bremen on Matchday 1. Bremen hit back to rescue a 1-1 draw, but Weydant may well have done enough to earn a starting berth alongside Niclas Füllkrug - Hannover's top scorer in 2017/18. Arsenal loanee forward Takuma Asano would likely make way, although there could be a vacancy in midfield should Pirmin Schwegler fail to recover from a knock sustained against Bremen. Marvin Bakalorz is the most natural alternative, but Timo Hübers and Edgar Prib remain sidelined by injury.
Pulisic celebrated his 99th Dortmund outing and 71st in the Bundesliga with a 4-1 win against RB Leipzig that took BVB top of the Bundesliga for the first time in 302 days. The American was deployed on the right-hand side of the attack alongside Maximilian Philipp and captain Marco Reus, and can expect to keep his place in the starting line-up after a typically energetic performance. Mario Götze and Jadon Sancho will likely have to settle for a place on the bench once again, however, especially after such impressive performances from midfield trio Mahmoud Dahoud, Thomas Delaney and Axel Witsel on the opening weekend.
Probable line-ups
Hannover: Esser – Sorg, Anton (c), Wimmer, Ostrzolek – Bebou, Schwegler, Walace, Maina – Weydant, FüllkrugAbsentees: Hübers, Prib (both ankle), Schwegler (knock)Coach: Andre Breitenreiter
Dortmund: Bürki – Piszczek, Akanji, Diallo, Schmelzer – Dahoud, Witsel, Delaney – Pulisic, Philipp, Reus (c)Absentees: Bruun Larsen (foot), Rode, Toprak (both muscular)Coach: Lucien Favre