Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Borussia Dortmund FC will host RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga 23rd-tour match at Signal Iduna Park Stadium. The fixture will take place on Saturday, March 4, beginning at 01:00 IST.
Borussia’s current winning run and the strong will that drives Terzic’s team to squeeze out results no matter what are speaking in their favour. RB Leipzig, on the other hand, have consistently shown almost the best football in Germany since Rosé’s appointment. The Bulls manager is well aware of the weaknesses of his former charges and looks to exploit them, while the redoubtable Christopher Nkunku should help him with that. The Frenchman is definitely hungry for goals.
What can we expect this Saturday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Borussia Dortmund News & Current Form:
Edin Terzic’s team are performing phenomenally in the new year. Suffice it to say that Dortmund are the only club in the top-five championships to have won absolutely every game in 2023. A successful streak of results allowed the Black and Yellows to return to the championship race in the Bundesliga.
The last time Terzic’s men lost was to Borussia Mönchengladbach FC (2 – 4) in November 2022. Since then, the team have had a nine-game winning streak in all competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, where Chelsea FC suffered a 1 – 0 defeat. No team in Germany has won more often than Terzic’s men, even Bayern have two fewer successes.
Dortmund, together with FC Bayern Munich, lead the table with 46 points, but Munich are ahead in extra points. Borussia have the best attack and defence after the Bavarians, with a goal difference of 45-27. Interestingly, Leipzig have an identical result, but the Bulls have four fewer points.
Before the meeting with Leipzig, the BVB had a successful visit to TSG Hoffenheim. The expected goal-scoring extravaganza failed to materialize – Borussia got a modest win, beating a limping opponent (1 – 0).
The Black and Yellows are dangerous with a versatile attack, with eight players scoring three or more goals. Julian Brandt (8 + 4) was the best in goal+passing. However, the hosts will approach the match against Leipzig a little bleeding, because the club’s second-best forward Youssoufa Moukoko (6 + 3) is unavailable for the next match due to injury. Another prolific winger Karim Adeyemi (3 + 2) is also out with an injury.
Borussia have a tough return game against Chelsea in a few days, and the players, no matter how they play, will have that game in their minds, and it could get in the way. However, the Germans will definitely try to take the three points, given their ambitions to capture the top of the table. Dortmund are in a very solid tone and it will be very difficult to beat them.
The return of Sebastian Haller has played an important role in a successful series. Not with goals, but with his ability to hold onto the ball and clever movement, Aller linked Dortmund’s attack into a cohesive unit. The instant progress of Brandt and Adeyemi, named player of the month and January’s newcomer of the month, is a testament to that. Julian has scored four goals in four recent encounters.
RB Leipzig News & Current Form:
The Red Bulls had a disastrous start to the 2022/2023 season. The patience of the club’s management burst after Leipzig suffered a crushing defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk FC in the Champions League group stage. Team bosses asked well-known coach Domenico Tedesco to step down.
Marco Rosé was called upon to save the day. The latter is quite up to the task – Leipzig have managed to secure a trip to the Champions League 1/8 finals and climb into the top 4 of the Bundesliga. The Reds are currently fourth in the German league table, four points behind Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
Before travelling to Dortmund, Leipzig took on another top-flight contender, Eintracht Frankfurt FC. The Bulls won 2 – 1 thanks to accurate strikes from Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg.
The last time the Reds lost was back in September, also to Mönchengladbach (0 – 3). Since then, Leipzig have had just one defeat in 22 matches in all competitions. The only side Rosé’s men have lost to this year are German title rivals FC Union Berlin (1 – 2).
This can be attributed to injuries to key players: top scorer Christopher Nkunku (17 + 5 in 24 games) and winger Dani Olmo (4 + 6 in 17 games). The Frenchman has recovered for the game against Manchester City FC, but has yet to regain his form.
RB confirmed their class in the match against the Citizens – they did not lose at home to one of the strongest teams in the world (1 – 1).
Recent meeting history is in Leipzig’s favour as the Bulls have won three of their three matches by a combined score of 9 – 2. And in the first leg, they stung BVB with three unanswered goals.
Christopher Nkunku has come off the bench for three straight matches and Friday is finally expected to be his first appearance in the starting line-up in 2023. Alarming news for Dortmund, where the Frenchman set up five goals in two meetings last campaign. Nkunku will take up space in the centre of attack alongside Andre Silva, while Werner will move to the left. The big loss was the suspension of Konrad Laimer, a key centre-back in recent months. Kevin Kampl will help push the ball forward as well as Laimer but is unlikely to cope with his workload.
Borussia Dortmund form guide: W-W-W-W-W-W
RB Leipzig form guide: W-D-L-W-D-W
Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig Head-To-Head Record:
Borussia Dortmund | Draw | RB Leipzig |
7 | 2 | 5 |
- January 9, 2021: RB Leipzig 1 – 3 Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga);
- May 8, 2021: Borussia Dortmund 3 – 2 RB Leipzig (Bundesliga);
- May 13, 2021: RB Leipzig 1 – 4 Borussia Dortmund (DFB Pokal);
- November 6, 2021: RB Leipzig 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga);
- April 2, 2022: Borussia Dortmund 1 – 4 RB Leipzig (Bundesliga);
- September 10, 2022: RB Leipzig 3 – 0 Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga).
Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig Predicted XI:
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Ozcan, Can, Bellingham; Brandt, Haller, Reus.
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Halstenberg; Kampl, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Werner; Nkunku.
Statistical preview of the match Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig:
- Dortmund’s First XI average age is 26.6 yrs.
- RB’s First XI average age is 27.3 yrs.
- RB Leipzig are victorious in their last 3 matches against this opponent.
- Borussia have won their last 9 matches.
- RB Leipzig are unbeaten in 21 of their last 23 matches.
- In their last 5 games RB Leipzig have conceded an average of 0.80 goals per game.
- RB Leipzig scored in their last 6 games against this opponent.
- RB Leipzig have scored in their last 4 games.
- RB Leipzig have scored an average of 1.40 goals per game in their last 5 games.
- Borussia conceded an average of 0.40 goals per game in their last 5 games.
- Borussia have scored in 12 of their last 14 games against this opponent.
- Borussia have scored in their last 10 games.
- Borussia have scored an average of 2.00 goals per game in their last 5 games.
- Since the appointment of Rose RB, Leipzig are averaging 2.2 points per game (best in the league).
- Leipzig and Dortmund score more frequently than others in the last 15 minutes of the match (13 goals each).
- Brandt breaks his personal best record in the Bundesliga (8 goals in 22 games), half of which he scored in the last 4 rounds.
What has been said before the match:
Borussia’s coach Edin Terzic ahead of the game with Leipzig in the Bundesliga fixture:
“It will be an absolute top game. We want to increase the gap on Leipzig. But both will want to leave the pitch as winners, so we’ll need a really good performance.”
“In the first leg, Leipzig was very aggressive and created a lot of danger with their fast people. But since then we have often done better, for example in Leverkusen. We want to take the intensity, toughness and also the goal threat of these last weeks with us.”
“Marius Wolf has not had an easy time. But since January he has blossomed, even if he plays a somewhat unfamiliar role. But physically, running-wise, and especially technically, he’s currently helping us a lot from the RB position.”
“For many, it is a very special game. Tomorrow we have the next chance to be louder than ever! In the current season, it will probably be the most important week for us so far.”
Coach of the Red Bulls, Marco Rose about his team’s tough opponents:
“Dortmund’s winning streak and the confidence that gives them makes them very tough opponents. They’ve put a great run together and they have a lot of individual quality.”
“We will need to be courageous and produce a top performance on Friday. We will have to work hard off the ball to deal with the power and force that Dortmund have going forward.”
“We’re up against a top side carrying momentum, but we will work to change that momentum. After all, we’re on a good run of form ourselves.”
About Dani Olmo’s condition, he said:
“It doesn’t necessarily mean he will be on board against Gladbach. I’d be happy if he was an option to face Man City. It’s a good sign that he’s closer to training with the team.”
Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig Prediction:
Get ready for an explosive encounter as two of Bundesliga’s top contenders, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, face off in what promises to be an action-packed match. The Bumblebees will not want to lose momentum and will certainly try to extend their incredible winning streak by providing a ‘warm welcome’ at the 81,000-seat Signal Iduna Park in the heart of Dortmund. Even in the absence of Karim Adeyemi, BVB should be able to get a couple of goals to prevail over Red Bulls thanks to the exceptional overall form and frantic support from one of the noisiest stadiums in Europe.
But don’t count Leipzig out just yet, as they’re not used to sitting on the defensive sidelines and will undoubtedly look to take their chances on the opposite end. And what promises us an entertaining battle is the fact that both teams rely on attacking football regardless of anything: six of their last head-to-head encounters have seen a total of more than 2.5 goals scored.
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Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Borussia Dortmund will win and the match total will be over 2.5 – Yes.