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Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig; First of the Red Bull challenges for BVB

By Shawn Ivan D'souza

DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 26: Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund celebrates scoring the opening goal with his team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg at the Signal Iduna Park on February 26, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 26: Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund celebrates scoring the opening goal with his team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg at the Signal Iduna Park on February 26, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund are back in action this weekend as they face RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Peter Stöger and co. will look to cement their spot in the top 3 as they make the trip to Leipzig on Saturday.

Last season’s high-fliers, RB Leipzig will be next on the agenda for Peter Stöger’s side. This will be the first of the matches that Borussia Dortmund will be playing against Red Bull clubs as they drew RB Salzburg in the Europa League.

The Black and Yellows are currently sitting in 2nd position on the Bundesliga table whereas Leipzig is in 6th. But there is only a 3 point difference between the two sides. The Bulls gaffer, Ralph Hasenhüttl will want his side to pick up the three points this weekend, to keep his side’s hopes alive for a Champions League spot. Here is all you need to know about Saturday night’s clash.

Match Information

Location: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany

Date: March 3rd, 2018

Time: 5:30pm(GMT)/6:30pm(CET)

Form Guide

Borussia Dortmund
Last 5 matches: WWWDD

Last match: Borussia Dortmund 1 FC Augsburg 1

Analysis: Dortmund were up against Augsburg in the last round of fixtures in the Bundesliga. The Black and Yellows seemed to have been exhausted by the mid-week fixture against Atalanta in the Europa League. Peter Stöger’s were excellent in the first half and Reus found the opener for Dortmund in the 16th minute. But Augsburg came out strong in the second half, taking advantage of their opposition’s fitness level. Kevin Danso’s 73rd-minute strike meant that the sides shared a point in Dortmund last weekend.

RB Leipzig
Last 5 matches: WWLLL

Last match: RB Leipzig 1 FC Koln 2

Analysis: Leipzig didn’t have a fun outing last weekend as they succumbed to their third defeat in a row. The Bulls were made to work by Napoli as they just made it into the next round of the Europa League on away goals. They were up against bottom-placed, FC Koln last weekend. Kevin-Augustin scored the opening goal for Leipzig in the 5th minute. But Koln toiled hard and Koziello found the back of the net to draw thing level in the 70th minute. Just 7 minutes, Bittencourt scored to put Koln in lead, which was enough to seal the points for the away side.

Opposition star man – Naby Keita

NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Naby Keita of RB Leipzig in action during UEFA Europa League Round of 32 match between Napoli and RB Leipzig at the Stadio San Paolo on February 15, 2018 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Naby Keita of RB Leipzig in action during UEFA Europa League Round of 32 match between Napoli and RB Leipzig at the Stadio San Paolo on February 15, 2018 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) /

The Guinea International has been Leipzig’s star player since last season. Naby Keita is known for breaking down opposition play regularly. The 23-year old possesses a wide range of passing abilities and doesn’t shy away from a mean long shot. Though discipline is one of his issues, Liverpool-bound Keita is excellent with his tackles. If Dortmund is to win this weekend, Peter Stoger must come up with a plan to negate his influence on the fixture.

Last Match – Borussia Dortmund 2 RB Leipzig 3

DORTMUND, GERMANY – OCTOBER 14: Marcel Sabitzer of Leipzig and Marc Bartra of Dortmund battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY – OCTOBER 14: Marcel Sabitzer of Leipzig and Marc Bartra of Dortmund battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /

Borussia Dortmund faced their first defeat in the Bundesliga when these two sides met last time. It also marked the beginning of the downfall of Peter Bosz as Dortmund suffered multiple setbacks after this defeat. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the opening goal for the Black and Yellows within the opening 5 minutes of the fixture. But Sabitzer and Poulsen scored before half-time to give RB Leipzig the lead.

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The Black and Yellows started the second half on the wrong foot. Sokratis was knocked his opponent out in the penalty box. The Greece defender was also given his marching orders for the foul. Augustin put the penalty away and the scoreline read 3-1 to Leipzig. Borussia Dortmund were awarded a penalty which was scored by Aubameyang. The Black and Yellows were poised to draw level at least but were unable to latch on the opportunities as the Bulls ran away with a 3-2 victory.

Possible lineups

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki, Piszczek, Sokratis, Toprak, Schmelzer, Weigl, Castro, Gotze, Reus, Batshuayi, Schürrle

RB Leipzig: Gulasci, Bernardo, Upamecano, Orban, Klostermann, Sabitzer, Demme, Kampl, Forsberg, Werner, Poulsen

Final Prediction – Borussia Dortmund 1 RB Leipzig 1

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