Essen vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction and Betting Tips | August 18th 2025

Essen will entertain Borussia Dortmund at Stadion Essen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Monday. The hosts were eliminated from the first round last season, while Dortmund could not make it past the second round.

RWE have drawn their two competitive games thus far and were held to a 1-1 draw by Havelse in the 3.Liga. Late drama ensued as Tobias Manuel Kraulich gave them the lead in the 89th minute, and Lorenzo Paldino bagged a stoppage-time equalizer.

The visitors will play their first competitive match of the season. They met Juventus in their final preseason friendly last week and suffered a 2-1 home loss. Andrea Cambiaso bagged a brace to give the Italian side a two-goal lead, and Maximilian Beier scored the consolation goal for Dortmund.

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Essen vs Borussia Dortmund Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• The two teams have squared off 39 times in all competitions. The visitors have the upper hand in these meetings, recording 23 wins. RWE have 10 wins and six games have ended in draws.
• Notably, their last two meetings have both taken place in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Dortmund recorded 3-1 wins in both games.
• The last four meetings between the two teams have produced over 2.5 goals.
• The hosts are unbeaten in their last six competitive games, recording three wins. Notably, they have conceded one goal apiece in these games.
• Dortmund are on a six-game winning streak in all competitions. Notably, they have scored at least three goals in these games.
• The visitors are on a five-game winning streak in away meetings against RWE, scoring 13 goals while keeping two clean sheets.

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Essen vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction

The hosts have been eliminated from the first round of the DFB-Pokal in their last two appearances and will look to improve upon that record. They have conceded four goals apiece in their last two games in the competition.

Die Borussen have scored at least three goals in eight of their last 10 competitive games and will look to continue that prolific run here. They have scored 15 goals in their last four meetings against the hosts.

Niklas Süle suffered an injury against Juventus and will miss the next two months of action. Emre Can is also sidelined with a thigh injury. Niko Kovač will also likely be without the services of Ramy Bensebaini.

The visitors were last eliminated from the first round of the DFB-Pokal in 2005, and considering their dominance in this fixture, we back Dortmund to record a comfortable win.

Prediction: Essen 1-3 Borussia Dortmund

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Essen vs Borussia Dortmund Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Borussia Dortmund to win

Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals

Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes

Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes