RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund

Red Bull Arena sets the stage for a mouth-watering Bundesliga encounter between Champions League hopefuls RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.

With the Bundesliga set to earn a fifth spot in next season’s Champions League due to the German club’s eye-catching European exploits this term, Leipzig’s seat at Europe’s top table seems guaranteed. Marco Rose’s side left it late to beat Heidenheim 2-1 last weekend, netting an 85th-minute winner to extend their unbeaten league run to seven matches (W6, D1). Two points separate the fourth-placed Red Bull outfit from fifth-placed Dortmund ahead of the kick-off, so extending a five-game unbeaten home league streak without conceding would probably seal the deal (W4, D1). Inspired by the club’s best defensive run on home turf in their relatively short Bundesliga history, Die Roten Bullen will be confident about posting a third consecutive top-flight home win against a Dortmund side they defeated 3-2 in the reverse fixture.

Visiting Borussia Dortmund could set an unwanted piece of history this weekend if they fail to get on the scoresheet, having never gone three successive visits to the Red Bull Arena without scoring. That’s unlikely to happen this time either, especially after Edin Terzic’s side pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 on aggregate in their Champions League quarter-final tie before holding newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw. More confidence stems from Dortmund’s four-game winning away league streak, with Die Borussen seeking a fifth straight top-flight victory on the road for the first time since June 2020. Keeping their first clean sheet in six competitive matches would help, but that seems far-fetched.