Borussia Dortmund will resume Bundesliga action with a tough home game against title chasers and reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Borussia Dortmund have a lot of work ahead to make sure they are in a relevant position on the table in the upcoming period as they get set to host Bayer Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on Friday. Nuri Sahin would have been relieved at the timing of the winter break, having seen his side struggle domestically to get a foothold of proceedings.
While the Black and Yellows were victorious and attacking imperious against Wolfsburg before the break, they had no victories in the four games before that one. Their consistent drop-off in form and results has been the reason why BVB are 11 points behind league leaders and arch-rivals Bayern Munich.
However, Sahin will hope to kick on from here on, as finishing in the Champions League places would be of the utmost priority for the manager. With consistency and those above them dropping points, there is still time for Dortmund to re-enter the title conversation. However, that may not be seen as a priority as they take on another big challenge in the form of reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso has shown mettle in his efforts to bring Bayer Leverkusen back into the title race, given they were written off very early on for some disappointing results. The reigning champions have already dropped points in six games, which is as many as they did in the previous campaign, meaning there is hardly any more scope for errors in one sense.
Meanwhile, their recent form has brought Leverkusen back in the mix in a big way, following five victories in as many Bundesliga games before the winter break. In that period, Bayern Munich garnered four points, allowing Leverkusen to capitalise and come within four points of the league leaders.
A big win over Borussia Dortmund will be the next order of business for Alonso in his quest to play catch up this term compared to last term when Bayer Leverkusen were chased. Die Werkself have the form on their side, although one might suspect the break might have disrupted their rhythm a bit, although they do have better quality than their hosts at the current moment.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
The home side have multiple problems in central defence, as Nuri Sahin’s options are pretty mich thin at this moment. Nico Schlotterbeck is currently the only fit centre-back at the club, as defensive partners Niklas Sule and Filippo Mane are big doubts.
The former is definitely out of this clash and for the next few months with an ankle issue, while there is an ongoing calf issue with the latter. There are doubts about Waldemar Anton with an abductor issue, but he is the one closest to returning and possibly even partnering up with Schlotterbeck against Leverkusen.
Pascal Gross is the other sure absentee, as he is suspended for the next two games following a red card before the winter break. Felix Nmecha and Emre Can are the preferred choices to start in midfield.
Julian Brandt’s performance against Wolfsburg will keep him in line to start against Leverkusen in the attacking midfield role. Jamie Gittens and Maximilian Beier are the preferred choices in the wide areas, while Serhou Guirassy will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund against Bayer Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebani; Nmecha, Can; Gittens, Brandt, Beier; Guirassy
Bayer Leverkusen
There are some problems for Xabi Alonso to deal with ahead of this tricky trip to Dortmund. Bayer Leverkusen are already without defender Jeanuel Belocian for the remainder of the season with an ACL problem, while Amine Adli and Victor Boniface are big doubts to feature.
Granit Xhaka is also a doubt with an ankle issue, although the Swiss midfielder is expected to shake off the problem and feature in the midfield alongside Exequiel Palacios. Patrik Schick will have no doubts about his starting position following a four-goal haul against Freiburg.
Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Alejandro Grimaldo are set to feature in the attacking setup. Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba are the choices at the heart of the defence, with Nordi Mukiele and Piero Hincapie settling in the full-back positions.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Palacios, Xhaka; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund have one win in their last five Bundesliga games.
- Borussia Dortmund have the best home record in the Bundesliga with six wins.
- Bayer Leverkusen have the best away record in the league, and they have conceded the fewest goals on the road.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last five Bundesliga games.
- Bayer Leverkusen have scored at least two goals in 16 of their last 19 matches in the Bundesliga.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
Schick’s four-goal haul against Freiburg certainly boosts his numbers for the season, which took his tally to 13 strikes across all competition. However, that performance before the winter break was no blip. Instead, it was a culmination of the form he was in before that clash, as the Czech attacker now has nine goals in his last five Bundesliga games.
With Bayer Leverkusen entering a crucial phase of their season as title chasers, Xabi Alonso will want all his players, particularly Schick, to hit top gear against Borussia Dortmund. With Victor Boniface a doubt, the Leverkusen manager will want Schick to put in a shift away from home at Dortmund to help the team maintain the pressure and points gap with Bayern Munich up top.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Dortmund will have home comforts to lean upon, and they did put in a promising shift against Wolfsburg, but there are question marks on whether that is enough to evade the challenge of Leverkusen. Nuri Sahin’s side will come into this clash under pressure to perform more than anything, although they might fall a bit short at the end of the ninety minutes.
Bayer Leverkusen are in the best run of form this season compared to how they began the campaign. In recent times, they have secured five consecutive wins in the league, which has allowed them to close the gap on leaders Bayern Munich. Dortmund are next on their menu, as Xabi Alonso’s side could emerge victorious and continue their impressive form on the road this season in the Bundesliga.