Saturday’s Topspiel (match of the day) in the Bundesliga on Saturday is Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund. With 2nd-10th separated by just five points, as much as a win would give either side a massive boost, is it a case of must not lose on Saturday evening?
Both Leverkusen and Dortmund are coming off the back of midweek victories in the Champions League.
B04 beat Manchester City away against all odds thanks to goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and the ever-reliable and perhaps a man who could lay claim to the name “Mr. Leverkusen”, Patrik Schick.
GGFN spoke to B04’s Mark Flekken in the week, who had just put in a Man of the Match performance.
When asked by GGFN if having such a strong defence gives him confidence, Flekken said:
“Definitely. But it’s, it’s the same the other way around. If the back line knows they have a goalkeeper behind them who can save the one shot that goes through them, those connections have to be built over time. Like I said before, you need time. You don’t always get time. So you have to be patient, you have to work hard, and you have to get to know each other.”
It was a defensive display that Leverkusen will be hoping to replicate on Saturday. Whilst they had a ropey start to the season and have conceded more than anyone else in the top four currently, head coach Kasper Hjulmand has got Die Werkself organised, compact, and hard to beat – even when you’re left facing Flekken in goal.
Meanwhile, Dortmund swept aside La Liga’s Villareal 4-0 on home turf.
It was a game with all the right goal scorers from a BVB point of view (though I’m sure they don’t really care how it goes in). Serhou Guirassy netted a brace, whilst Karim Adeyemi silenced his critics with another goal in Europe. Daniel Svensson also got in on the action with BVB’s fourth deep into stoppage time.
When it comes to recent form in matches involving these two, the last four have ended in two draws and a win for either team. With just one point separating the sides going into this one (B04 23 points – BVB 22 points), it’s a tough one to call. A win could catapult either into second, depending on how RB Leipzig fares against Gladbach.
However, a loss could spell a drop out of the top four and level on points with people just outside all European places.
Team News
Bayer Leverkusen
Die Werkself head into the Topspiel with three injury worries to Ezequiel Fernandez, Exequiel Palacios, and Lucas Vazquez. This weekend’s game all comes too soon for each player, and they will have to watch from the sidelines.
Borussia Dortmund
BVB are just without defender Niklas Süle, which, depending on who you ask, isn’t the worst problem in the world. Maximilian Beier had a solid game in Dortmund’s last Bundesliga outing against VfB Stuttgart, but missed the game in midweek. However, expect him to play some part this weekend.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
