Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig preview: Two in-form sides do battle
No team has picked up more points than Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in 2022. Both sides have collected 23 points this calendar year and the two in-form teams will now face off on Saturday evening.
Marco Rose. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund’s hopes of challenging Bayern Munich for the title were severely dented in their last outing, when they dropped points against FC Köln. Marius Wolf gave Dortmund an early lead in that contest, but parity was restored before half time thanks to a Sebastian Andersson strike, and with no side able to find a winner in the second half, both teams had to settle for a point.
The draw did extend Dortmund’s current unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions, and what will please Marco Rose is that his side have conceded no more than one goal in five of those games, highlighting Dortmund’s newfound defensive solidity.
As they now turn their attention towards a tough contest against Leipzig, Saturday’s hosts will look to draw inspiration from the fact that they have won four of the last five competitive meetings between the two sides.
Their home form this season also offers reason to be confident, with Dortmund currently possessing the second-best home record in the Bundesliga after winning 11 of their 13 home league matches.
Team News
Erling Haaland is a doubt for the contest after picking up an ankle injury. Meanwhile, the hosts will be without the services of Felix Passlack, Nico Schulz, Steffen Tigges, Youssoufa Moukoko and Thomas Meunier.
RB Leipzig
Leipzig have excelled under Domenico Tedesco in 2022, with Die Rotten Bullen scoring more goals than any other Bundesliga side this calendar year, while they also hold the best defensive record in the league in 2022.
They enter Saturday’s contest in fourth position, but a Champions League place is far from secure, with Leipzig battling it out with Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg and Hoffenheim for two Champions League spots.
Like their hosts, Leipzig also take an unbeaten run into the contest, with Die Roten Bullen hoping to extend their current unbeaten streak to 10 games in all competitions. They will also be aiming to complete a league double over Dortmund after winning 2-1 in the reverse fixture.
Team News
Amadou Haidara and Yussuf Poulsen miss out for the visitors due to knee and groin injuries respectively.