Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview
Borussia Dortmund will look to get back to winning ways as they face Bayer Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park.
Lucien Favre’s side have seen their lead at the top of the Bundesliga cut to just three points following three successive draws.
The pressure is starting to build on Dortmund and they will be desperate to get back to form.
However, they face a tough test against a rejuvenated Bayer Leverkusen side under former Dortmund boss Peter Bosz.
Leverkusen have won their last four Bundesliga games but crashed out of the Europa League in midweek to Russian side Krasnodar.
They will be hoping to keep up their great league form and their chances of making the top four.
Team News
Borussia Dortmund will be without Christian Pulisic and Marco Reus due to hamstring and groin injuries. Also, Lukasz Piszczek is out injured.
Leading goalscorer Paco Alcacer is vying for a start in attack but hasn’t scored in his last six games.
For Bayer Leverkusen, Karim Bellarabi and Finnish striker Joel Pohjanpalo are out injured due to thigh and ankle injuries respectively.
Midfielder Lars Bender and Greek defender Panagiotis Retsos are doubtful due to thigh injuries.
Previous Encounters
Bayer Leverkusen haven’t beaten Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park since August 2014 thanks to goals from Stefan Kiebling and Karim Bellarabi.
Dortmund have scored eight goals against Leverkusen in their last two encounters, including a 4-2 victory at the Bay Arena last September.
In the last three Bundesliga games at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund have scored 13 goals conceding only two.
Predicted Line-Ups
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1) Bürki; Hakimi, Weigl, Zagadou, Diallo; Witsel, Delaney; Sancho, Götze, Guerreiro; Alcacer
Bayern Leverkusen (4-3-3) Hradecky; Weiser, Tah, S. Bender, Wendell; Aranguiz, Baumgartlinger, Havertz; Bailey, Volland, Brandt
Match Prediction
The pressure is starting to grow on Lucien Favre and Dortmund. Last week, was an awful week which included a dismal draw against bottom side Nurnberg.
An injury to talisman Marco Reus hasn’t helped, as they have won only one of their three league games without their captain.
Also, the lack of form from Paco Alcacer must be a big concern for Die Schwarzgelben. The Spaniard hasn’t scored in his last six games and Lucien Favre will be desperate for his top goalscorer to rediscover his early season form.
This is a must win game especially if Bayern Munich defeat Hertha Berlin 24 hours earlier.
For Bayer Leverkusen, they are reborn under Peter Bosz, winning four of their five Bundesliga games under the former Ajax boss.
They will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing result in midweek in the Europa League.
Bayer Leverkusen have already put a dent in Bayern Munich’s title challenge and have the players who can do the same to Dortmund.
This has all the makings of a thrilling encounter and if their previous matches are anything to go by, their will be goals in this one.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Photo credit to Borussia Dortmund via Twitter
