Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Visitors pursuing European places

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Visitors pursuing European places

Borussia Dortmund:

Borussia Dortmund welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Westfalenstadion this Saturday afternoon, with more on the line for the visitors in the 15:30 CET kick-off as the race for European football heats up in the Bundesliga.

Niko Kovač's side pulled off the mother of all smash and grabs last weekend, defeating VfB Stuttgart 2-0 at the MHP Arena. Despite only having three shots on target after 90 minutes, Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt struck in injury time to seal the win.

That victory essentially gives the Westphalian side a vice-like grip on second place in the standings. They may trail league leaders Bayern Munich by nine, but crucially pushed the gap from third place out to 11 points with 6 games remaining.

Now, BVB take on a Leverkusen side who have blown hot and cold recently. Prior to 2023, Dortmund were the dominant force in this tie but that has somewhat swung with the hosts claiming a pair of wins and draws with one loss in their last 5 meetings.

Team news:

For BVB, Felix Nmecha (torn knee ligament), Emre Can (ACL tear) and Filippo Mane (muscle injury) are out, while Karim Adeyemi serves a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

BVB should stay largely unchanged with Kobel behind Anton, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini in defence. Ryerson and Svensson ought to play wide of Sabitzer and Bellingham, while Beier and Brandt are expected to support Guirassy.

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Sabitzer, Bellingham, Svensson – Beier, Brandt – Guirassy

Bayer Leverkusen:

Moving onto Bayer Leverkusen, things have been a bit turbulent within the camp as questions surround Kasper Hjulmand's future. Their motive is clear however, take as many points as you possibly can from the final six outings of the season.

Last weekend underlined their ability to mix the downright awful with the truly brilliant. At one stage they trailed 3-1 to a relegation threatened VfL Wolfsburg side at home before delivering a big second-half to secure a thrilling 6-3 comeback.

In the absence of their midfield engine Aleix Garcia, other stars stepped up to the plate. Alex Grimaldo netted a brace, while the likes of Ibrahim Maza impressed. That win brought to an end a run of five games in all competitions without a victory.

Trailing TSG Hoffenheim by a point and the current Champions League spots occupied by Leipzig and Stuttgart by four, the Rhineland side will undoubtedly be hunting a big victory against a BVB side that have only lost twice all season in the Bundesliga.

Team news:

Martin Terrier (hamstring), Jarell Quansah (thigh) and Arthur (ligament tear) are expected to be unavailable, while wing-back Lucas Vázquez is in a race against time to recover fully from a prolonged calf injury.

Flekken ought to tend to goals behind Andrich, Badé and Tapsoba. Culbreath and Grimaldo should bring width to a midfield of Garcia and Palacios, with Maza and Tella linking up behind young Kofane in attack.

Predicted lineup: Flekken – Andrich, Badé, Tapsoba – Culbreath, Garcia, Palacios, Grimaldo – Maza, Tella – Kofane