Borussia Dortmund vs. RB Leipzig preview: The battle of two in-form sides awaits

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund maintained their current run of flawless form by defeating a tricky Mainz side 2-0 last Saturday and claimed a resounding 4-1 over Champions League opponents Athletic Club on Wednesday night. 

Nonetheless, head coach Niko Kovač is still looking to find ways to improve. Even though they dominated large swathes of the game against the Basque side, he felt his side looked “a bit too passive” in stages of the second-half. 

Ahead of what should be their first test of their credentials against an in-form Leipzig this Saturday afternoon, BVB crucially managed to rest some key personnel midweek. Nico Schlotterbeck and Felix Nmecha featured for a combined 40 minutes off the bench. 

Meanwhile, the red-hot Karim Adeyemi was called ashore on the hour mark and the likes of Yan Couto remained on the bench. Slightly more peripheral players like Carney Chukwuemeka even found the net to keep the squad firing on all cylinders. 

Team news:

BVB’s injury list continues to shrink after Niklas Süle and Fabio Silva returned to full fitness in the last week. That leaves just three main absentees in Emre Can (adductor), Julien Duranville (shoulder) and Aaron Anselmino (muscular issues) out.

Gregor Kobel is expected to slot in behind a back-three of Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck and Rami Bensebaini. Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson should pair with Pascal Groß and Felix Nmecha in midfield. Karim Adeyemi and Maxi Beier ought to start behind Serhou Guirassy in attack. 

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Couto, Groß, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Beier – Guirassy 

RB Leipzig

Alarm bells rang when RB Leipzig shipped a hefty 6-0 defeat during the Bundesliga season opener against Bayern Munich, but things have simmered down since they found their form. 

Ole Werner’s men are not involved in Europe this season which might be received well given their rather significant squad overhaul. As a result, their honed focus means Die Roten Bullen have emerged victorious in each of their last four Bundesliga games.  

Despite being well and truly under the pump against VfL Wolfsburg last Saturday, a moment of brilliance from Johan Bakayoko coupled with some impermeable defending guided them to a 1-0 further highlighting their resolve. 

Now, similarly to their hosts, they face arguably their most difficult opponent yet in Dortmund. The question is whether this young, budding squad can hold out against a wily, experienced Kovač side on their home turf. 

Team news:

On the personnel front, Benjamin Henrichs (Achilles rupture), Amadou Haidara (muscular problems), Max Finkgräfe (ligament injury) and Kosta Nedeljkovic (knee) are absent. Xaver Schlager is still behind in his race to be fit so he’s a doubt. 

As for the lineup, Peter Gulacsi should play behind a back-four of Ridle Baku, Willi Orban, Castello Lukeba and David Raum. A midfield trio of Assan Ouedraogo, Nicolas Seiwald and Christoph Baumgarter will likely support Johan Bakayoko, Rômulo and Yan Diomande up top. 

Predicted lineup: Gulacsi – Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum – Seiwald, Ouedraogo, Baumgartner – Bakayoko, Rômulo, Diomande