Is the class gap too wide? Fortuna Düsseldorf vs Borussia Dortmund prediction
Fortuna Duesseldorf
The July stage of the international club friendlies will see Fortuna Düsseldorf take on Borussia Dortmund on July 25, 2026, at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. Niko Kovač’s side enters the clash in excellent form, while the hosts have yet to prove that their convincing wins over lower-tier opponents truly mean something.
Fortuna Düsseldorf: The LASK defeat brought the team back to reality
Fortuna endured a disastrous campaign in the 2. Bundesliga, finishing in the relegation zone after losing out on tiebreakers. The decisive blow came in the final round away game against Greuther Fürth, where Fortuna lost 0-3 to a direct rival and slipped behind in the standings.
In preparation for the new season, the Düsseldorf side have already played four friendlies, dispatching Ružomberok 2-0, DJK Teutonia 5-0, and FC Monheim 6-0—though the quality of these opponents was clearly a notch below Borussia’s. In their most recent warm-up, Fortuna fell 0-2 to LASK, snapping their winning streak.
Borussia Dortmund: Kovač quickly instills control and high-intensity pressing
Borussia’s most recent outing was a convincing 3-1 victory over Oberhausen. Earlier, Niko Kovač’s men had beaten Werder 2-0, Eintracht 3-2, and Freiburg 4-0. Their only slip-up was a 0-1 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Jobe Bellingham is especially worth highlighting—against Oberhausen, he completed 37 of 42 passes. Up front, the main threat remains Serhou Guirassy: the striker has already found the net in pre-season and is lethal when exploiting space behind the defense.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Borussia have won four of their last five pre-season matches.
- Fortuna failed to score in their last game against LASK, losing 0-2.
- Dortmund registered 17 shots and earned eight corners against Oberhausen.
The visitors should live up to their favorite status: Fortuna Düsseldorf vs Borussia Dortmund prediction
The gulf in class between these sides looks too significant to ignore, and odds around 1.48 for an away win accurately reflect the balance of power. Düsseldorf might try to rely on a compact 3-4-1-2 formation and rapid counterattacks, but Borussia’s controlled style could easily deny the hosts any space. We believe the visitors will secure victory by at least a two-goal margin.
