Leverkusen – Dortmund

Bayer and Borussia are likely to produce a high-scoring encounter

Over the past couple of decades, Bayer and Borussia Dortmund have alternately been the "second force" in German football, chasing Bayern. In recent years, the Leverkusen club has been relegated to the background, with the competitive Leipzig appearing in the Bundesliga, so the clash between the upcoming rivals has somewhat lost its football weight. After Bayer's dreadful start to the current season, when the team had to scramble from the bottom of the standings, it seemed that the Leverkusen club would be a point provider for clubs such as Borussia Dortmund in this championship. However, the Dortmund side came alive in time and began to win systematically. It was this dynamic that prompted bookmakers before this encounter to suggest Bayer as favourites, albeit with a slight slant in the odds. The Leverkusen club entered the 2022/2023 championship with an away defeat to Borussia Dortmund. In the first eight rounds, the team lost five times, drew twice and won only Mainz. After that defeat to Porto in the Champions League, the club management dismissed Seoane as coach, replacing him with Xabi Alonso. About a month later, the Spaniard's activities began to bear fruit. From 6 November 2022, Bayer's five-match winning streak stretched to eighth place in the Bundesliga and allowed the players to believe in their abilities. Borussia Dortmund are having about the same season as last season. There is no sign of them contending for the league title, but even if they hold last year's position without Hollande in the squad, Terzic's coaching performance will be assessed positively. Borussia came back from their World Cup break with two dramatic encounters with a happy ending. A week ago, the Bumblebees beat Augsburg 4-3 in a football shoot-out, and a few days later, a couple of minutes before the final whistle, they snatched a 2-1 win against Mainz. In the past two years, Bayer and Borussia have played five games against each other. Four of them ended with at least three goals, and two of them saw seven goals. Only the first round match of the current championship was not particularly productive. The Leverkusen and Dortmund clubs are likely to renew the tradition and score above-average goals.