Borussia Dortmund vs. RB Leipzig preview: The battle of two in-form sides awaits

Borussia Dortmund maintained their current run of flawless form by defeating a tricky Mainz side 2-0 last Saturday and claimed a resounding 4-1 over Champions League opponents Athletic Club on Wednesday night. 

Nonetheless, head coach Niko Kovač is still looking to find ways to improve. Even though they dominated large swathes of the game against the Basque side, he felt his side looked “a bit too passive” in stages of the second-half. 

Ahead of what should be their first test of their credentials against an in-form Leipzig this Saturday afternoon, BVB crucially managed to rest some key personnel midweek. Nico Schlotterbeck and Felix Nmecha featured for a combined 40 minutes off the bench. 

Meanwhile, the red-hot Karim Adeyemi was called ashore on the hour mark and the likes of Yan Couto remained on the bench. Slightly more peripheral players like Carney Chukwuemeka even found the net to keep the squad firing on all cylinders. 

BVB’s injury list continues to shrink after Niklas Süle and Fabio Silva returned to full fitness in the last week. That leaves just three main absentees in Emre Can (adductor), Julien Duranville (shoulder) and Aaron Anselmino (muscular issues) out.

Gregor Kobel is expected to slot in behind a back-three of Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck and Rami Bensebaini. Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson should pair with Pascal Groß and Felix Nmecha in midfield. Karim Adeyemi and Maxi Beier ought to start behind Serhou Guirassy in attack. 

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Couto, Groß, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Beier – Guirassy