Hosts eager to claw back lost ground

Here’s our preview of the clash between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund – with form, team news and predicted lineups included.

RB Leipzig

With an opportunity to close the gap to the Champions League places with a victory this weekend, RB Leipzig will be hoping to claim an important three points when they host Borussia Dortmund at 18:30 CET this Saturday.

Ole Werner’s side have fallen off the pace a fraction in recent weeks. Last Sunday’s 2-2 with VfL Wolfsburg evidenced that as they required a late goal from loanee Brajan Gruda to salvage a point in a game they dominated.

Prior to that, any realistic hopes of achieving silverware this campaign were dashed in a 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals, meaning Leipzig must put their full attention towards a strong league finish.

Facing BVB is no easy task given the form they’re in, but the Saxony side will sense they can take advantage of the visitors’ injury woes. Leipzig have also won four of their last five home games with Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Team news:

Assan Ouédraogo (knee) remains sidelined for Leipzig until late March. Peter Gulacsi (ligament tear), Suliman Sani (ankle) and Kosta Nedeljkovic (back) are the main absentees for Ole Werner’s side. 

Vandevoordt ought to be protected by Baku, Orban Lukeba and Raum. A midfield trio of Gruda, Seiwald and Baumgartner is expected to play behind a menacing attack boasting Diomande, Rômulo and Nusa. 

Predicted lineup: Vandevoordt – Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum – Gruda, Seiwald, Baumgartner – Diomande, Rômulo, Nusa

Borussia Dortmund

As for Borussia Dortmund, barring a slight dip in European form through January, they’ve kept their foot on the gas domestically. With six wins and one draw in the Bundesliga since the new year, they remain hot on Bayern Munich’s trail. 

With an extra distraction of the Champions League, they maintained their winning run on Tuesday with a 2-0 first-leg win over Atalanta. Niko Kovač was more than happy with his side whom he labeled “hard-working” at full-time.

One concern for the Westphalians is naturally their injury crisis in defence. Niklas Süle, Emre Can, Filippo Mane and Nico Schlotterbeck are sidelined for the trip to the Leipzig which points to another start for 18-year-old Luca Reggiani.

In perhaps one of their toughest games to date, a lot will be revealed about BVB. They’ve clearly struggled against Leipzig in recent meetings with only one win in their last five – ontop of injuries, that task becomes even trickier. 

Team news:

As previously mentioned, Nico Schlotterbeck (muscular problems), Emre Can (adductor), Niklas Süle (hamstring) and Filippo Mane (muscle injury) leave Niko Kovač with a bit of a defensive crisis this weekend.

As a result, Kobel should start behind Reggiani, Anton and Bensebaini. An in-form Ryerson ought to pair with Sabitzer, Nemcha and Svensson. In attack, Beier and Brandt will likely support front man Guirassy. 

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Beier, Brandt – Guirassy