Dortmund vs Leverkusen Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Borussia Dortmund will look to keep up with early Bundesliga frontrunners RB Leipzig when they take on Bayer Leverkusen, a side that have started their 2019/20 campaign brightly, on Saturday.
In their final outing before the international break, Dortmund were upset by newly promoted Union Berlin in a 3-1 defeat, a result that overshadowed a couple of exceptional performances in their opening two league games.
With Bavarian giants Bayern strengthening and Julian Nagelsmann now in charge of Leipzig, it'll be tough for this young and exciting Dortmund side to go all the way this season. Saturday's game against Leverkusen will be a real marker to see where they're at.
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With Leon Bailey having a rather subdued 2018/19 season, it was up to Kai Havertz to carry the torch for Die Werkself, registering a combined 20 goals and assists in the Bundesliga and cementing himself as Bayern's next great German superstar - whenever that move happens.
This certainly has the makings of an entertaining contest; both sides look to play quick, dynamic football and two of the world's most exciting talents in Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz will be up against one another, albeit not necessarily 1v1.
Here's our preview of Saturday's mouth-watering Bundesliga clash.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 14 September |
What Time Is Kick-Off? | 14:30 (BST) |
Where Is It Played? | Signal Iduna Park |
TV Channel/Live Stream | FuboTV - Free Trial (US) |
Referee | N/A |
Where to Buy Tickets
Tickets for the game are now sold out on both teams’ official club websites. However, in terms of resale, both sides provide the option to make season tickets available for other to use, if a supporter is unable to attend the match themselves.
Team News
Dortmund were dealt a double blow over the international break with both Nico Schulz and Manuel Akanji sustaining potentially long-term injuries. Achraf Hakimi will likely slot in at left back whilst Dan-Axel Zagadou will pair Mats Hummels in the heart of the Dortmund defence.
Doubts have also been raised over whether Axel Witsel will be fit enough to return on Saturday. The Belgian has been struggling with a torn thigh muscle and missed Dortmund's defeat to Union Berlin two weeks ago.
Thorgan Hazard is also out with a rib injury and the ex-Monchengladbach man is expected to be out of action for a couple more weeks.
On the other hand, Peter Bosz looks to have a full squad available for the trip to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Predicted Lineups
Borussia Dortmund | Burki; Piszczek, Hummels, Zagadou, Hakimi; Weigl, Delaney; Sancho, Reus, Brandt; Alcacer. |
Bayer Leverkusen | Hradecky; L. Bender, Tah, S. Bender, Wendell; Aranguiz; Bellarabi, Havertz, Demirbay, Bailey; Volland. |
Head to Head Record
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Last season we saw Dortmund win two thrillers, emerging triumphant 4-2 at the BayArena before a 3-2 victory at Signal Iduna Park in Peter Bosz's return to Dortmund.
Leverkusen have won just eight of the previous 29 encounters between the two sides. They also haven't won in this stadium since 2014.
Recent Form
Both sides come into this one after winning their first two league games and dropping points in their third.
Dortmund scored a combined eight goals against Augsburg and Koln in their opening two games before succumbing to a surprising 3-1 defeat to Union Berlin on matchday three.
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Leverkusen were similarly free-flowing in their opening two Bundesliga encounters, putting three past both Paderborn and Fortuna Dusseldorf to leave them with a 100% record. They were then shut out at home against a resolute Hoffenheim side in a 0-0 stalemate.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures:
Borussia Dortmund | Bayer Leverkusen |
Energie Cottbus 0-5 BorussiaDortmund (6/9) | Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Hoffenheim (31/8) |
Union Berlin 3-1 Borussia Dortmund (31/8) | Fortuna Dusseldorf 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen (24/8) |
Koln 1-3 Borussia Dortmund (23/8) | Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 Paderborn (17/8) |
Borussia Dortmund 5-1 Augsburg (17/8) | Alemannia Aachen 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen (10/8) |
Preussen Munster 0-4 Borussia Dortmund (10/8) | Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Valencia (4/8) |
Prediction
This has the potential to be a very entertaining contest when you look at the way these two sides want to play, as demonstrated during the two meetings last season.
With Dortmund missing a couple of key defensive personnel in Nico Schulz and Manuel Akanji, the door could be open for Leverkusen to get a result here.
However, BVB should have enough going forward to outscore this vulnerable Leverkusen side that had the worst defensive record out of the top eight in the Bundesliga last season.
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Expect the likes of Paco Alcacer, who's been dubbed the most in-form striker in Europe, Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus and Kai Havertz all to have a major impact for their respective sides on Saturday.
