Bundesliga Betting Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig

December 8, 2023

Saturday's late kick-off in the Bundesliga promises to be a cracker, as Borussia Dortmund host top-four rivals RB Leipzig at the Signal Iduna Park.

The Red Bulls have won four of their last five meetings with Borussia Dortmund in all competitions, including a 2-0 home victory in the German Cup quarter-finals last season.

However, Borussia Dortmund have beaten RB Leipzig 2-1 in their most recent Bundesliga encounter at the Signal Iduna Park in March, with first-half goals from Marco Reus and Emre Can.

Both Bundesliga sides are set to wrap up their Champions League group stage campaigns next week but they have already secured their place in the round of 16 and can fully focus on their Bundesliga encounter.

Borussia Dortmund Betting Preview (+160 at Everygame)

Edin Terzic's side suffered a disappointing, yet deserved 2-0 defeat at Stuttgart in the German Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night.

Borussia Dortmund also missed an opportunity to end Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run last weekend. The Black and Yellows were held to a 1-1 draw at the BayArena on Sunday as Victor Boniface rescued a point for Xabi Alonso's side.

A run of just one victory in their last five Bundesliga matches has left Borussia Dortmund 10 points off the title pace ahead of this round. A home return is usually conducive to a resurgence as Dortmund have lost only of their 10 matches at Signal Iduna Park this season (winning 7).

Meanwhile, it was an internal conflict at the club that reared its head this week, with sporting coordinator Slaven Stanic relieved of his duties due to a rift in relations with manager Edin Terzic.

Edin Terzic will likely recall the likes of Ramy Bensebaini, Julian Brandt, Donyell Malen, Niclas Fullkrug and Marco Reus, who all came off the bench (in different parts of the match) at Stuttgart in midweek.

Marius Wolf and Marcel Sabitzer are both doubts for this weekend's clash against RB Leipzig, while centre-forward Sebastien Haller is sidelined with a knee injury.

Elsewhere, Norwegian full-back Julian Ryerson as well as the likes of midfielder Felix Nmecha and attacker Youssoufa Moukoko won't feature again this calendar year.

With Ryerson out injured and Wolf being a serious doubt, Thomas Meunier could make his first Bundesliga start of the season. The Belgian right-back was recovering from a muscle injury, followed by another setback earlier this fall, but he was brought on as a late substitute at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.

Niclas Füllkrug had to endure a slow start to his Borussia Dortmund career but the German forward now boasts two goals and two assists in his last three Bundesliga games - as much as he produced in his previous 8 league appearances for Dortmund.

Donyell Malen remained an unused substitute against Bayer Leverkusen and was only introduced as a second half substitute at Stuttgart in midweek. The Netherlands international could get the nod over talented England teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens on Saturday.

RB Leipzig Betting Preview (+145 at Everygame)

The Red Bulls were already dumped out of the German Cup by Wolfsburg in October and they had a full week to prepare for their trip to Dortmund at the weekend.

Marco Rose's side defeated FC Heidenheim 2-1 at home in their last Bundesliga game, putting them in fourth place on 26 points. They are one point above their current opponents and nine points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

One week later, Marco Rose will be looking to claim another win against his former club. The Leipzig-born German manager also led Borussia Dortmund during the 2021-22 campaign, but he joined his hometown club in September 2022.

Summer signing Louis Openda is enjoying an impressive first season at RB Leipzig, having been involved in 17 goals (14 goals and three assists) in 18 matches across all competitions.

The Belgian forward had registered a brilliant 13 goal contributions (10 goals and three assists) in as many Bundesliga matches and Openda will be looking to maintain his fine form as he boasts five goals and one assist in his last five appearances for the Red Bulls.

Captain Willi Orban as well as Dani Olmo and Timo Werner are all injured for RB Leipzig, but none of them are first-team figures right now.

With four goals and seven assists in 13 Bundesliga appearances on his debut campaign, Xavi Simons is another standout performer for RB Leipzig this season.

Possible Starting Lineups of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig

Borussia Dortmund: Gregor Kobel - Thomas Meunier, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini - Emre Can, Salih Özcan - Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, Donyell Malen - Niclas Füllkrug. (4-2-3-1)

RB Leipzig: Janis Blaswich - Benjamin Henrichs, Mohamed Simakan, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum - Amadou Haidara, Xaver Schlager - Christoph Baumgartner, Xavi Simons - Yussuf Poulsen, Lois Openda. (4-2-2-2)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Borussia Dortmund conceded in each of their last five matches in all competitions and they need to solidify their backline if they want to return to winning ways here.

Unlike their inconsistent away form, The Black and Yellows have won five of their last six home games across all competitions as they only lost to arch rivals Bayern Munich - a heavy 4-0 defeat last month.

After a run of five consecutive away wins between 3 September and 21 October, RB Leipzig have now lost four of their last five matches away from the Red Bull Arena in all competitions. They only managed to beat Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, while they lost to Wolfsburg (twice, in different competitions), Mainz 05 and Manchester City over the period.

Spooky Express Free Play: Borussia Dortmund +160 at Everygame for 4/10 Units

Return to Soccer Previews List