Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund host Leverkusen in the battle for third place
By Tyler Flynn
After a horrendous loss against rivals Schalke last weekend, Borussia Dortmund needs to bounce back against Bayer Leverkusen. The black and yellows will be looking to beat Bayer Leverkusen to jolt into third place and help their chances to qualify in the Champions League next season.
The club will want to forget their dreadful performance at the Veltins-Arena last weekend and look forward to a crucial game this Saturday. Both teams are fighting for their Champions League lives, with only four fixtures left on the Bundesliga calendar. This game can make or break Borussia Dortmund’s chances to qualify for the best European club competition and some would say this is the most important game of the season.
Match Information
Location: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Date: April 21st, 2018
Time: 4:30 pm (GMT)
Form Guide
Borussia Dortmund
Last 5 Matches: DWLWL
Last Match: Borussia Dortmund 0 Schalke 2
Analysis: Borussia Dortmund deserved to lose against the royal blues. They did not defend well and they were not creative enough on offense. The club also lost their top striker, Michy Batshuayi, for the rest of the season. This game needs to be forgotten, so the club can move forward and focus on the rest of the season.
Bayer Leverkusen
Last 5 Matches: LDWWL
Last Match: Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 6
Analysis: Bayer Leverkusen have experienced their ups and downs lately. They have lost to last place Cologne, and beat good sides in RB Leipzig and Frankfurt in recent games. Yes, Bayern Munich did thrash them on their home field in the German Cup in their last game, but Bayern Munich is simply a talent class above the rest of the Bundesliga. Look for Bayer Leverkusen to bounce back this weekend and come out firing on all cylinders against the black and yellows.
Opposition Star: Kevin Volland
Volland has fourteen goals in twenty-eight games played with the club this year. The striker is the focal point of Leverkusen’s attack and always seems to find a way to be dangerous. He scored a hat trick two games ago against Frankfurt, and he is always on the hunt for more goals. Expect Volland to cause problems against the shaky back four of Borussia Dortmund all day.
Last Match: Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1
The last time these clubs met, Peter Bosz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were still with the club, which is crazy to think about. Volland opened the scoring for Bayer Leverkusen after they pressured the black and yellows for most of the first half. A red card by Wendell in the forty first minute helped Borussia Dortmund play with more space in the second half. Yarmolenko broke through late in the second half to help Borussia Dortmund get a point out of a subpar performance.
Possible Lineups
Borussia Dortmund: Bürki, Toprak, Sokratis, Piszczek, Schmelzer, Weigl, Dahoud, Götze, Philipp, Pulisic, Reus
Bayer Leverkusen: Leno, Jedvaj, S. Bender, Retsos, Henrichs, Baumgartlinger, Aranguiz, Brandt, Havertz, Bailey, Volland