Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels currently rates Bayer Leverkusen as a sterner test than AC Milan
With Borussia Dortmund's clash with Bayer Leverkusen close at hand, Mats Hummels has signled them out as a particularly difficult oppenent. The German international has gone so far as to call them the most difficult test in the Bundesliga yet for his club, rating them above Dortmund's recent opponents AC Milan:
"Leverkusen are on a brutal run. They play good ball...They're a team that you have to rank above Milan at the moment, they play fantastic soccer. I think that's the toughest task in Germany at the moment."
- Mats Hummels
Hummels' words strike true considering the fact that Leverkusen remain top of the league as the winter break approaches. There is a ten point gap between Leverkusen and Dortmund, and any hopes of surmounting this gap need to start with a Dortmund win on Sunday.
While Leverkusen certainly remains a very difficult task, Dortmund have shown this season that they are capable of playing very dangerous football and beating the odds, even when all the chips seem to be stacked against them. Taking their Champions League group this season as an example, many believed that Dortmund would struggle in a group including the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Newcastle United.
Dortmund, despite their struggles in the Bundesliga, have persevered and become the first team to qualify from the group for the round of 16, an impressive feat to say the least. They even managed to win away to both Newcastle and AC Milan in the process, which has proven to be a real statement that underlines the ability they posses in the squad.
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Lack of consistency has been the main detriment to Die Schwarzgelben so far though, but it is something they can rectify with a win against Leverkusen. It would be another statement victory to put the other Bundesliga sides on notice; Despite their struggles, it would be a throwing down of the gauntlet that says " we're still here, don't forget about us just yet".