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Bundesliga | Gameweek 34
May 22, 2021 at 2.30pm UK
Signal Iduna Park
LL

Dortmund
3 - 1
B. Leverkusen

Braut Haaland (5', 84'), Reus (51')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Bender (89' pen.)

Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Borussia Dortmund take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with neither side having much at stake.

Dortmund secured Champions League football after beating Mainz 05 last weekend, while Leverkusen are assured of competing in the Europa League next season.


Match preview

It has been quite the turnaround in recent weeks for Dortmund, whose top-four aspirations looked dead and buried after losing at home to Champions League qualification rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on April 3.

However, six successive league wins has seen BVB climb into third place in the table heading into the final day, with their place in Europe's elite competition already secured after Frankfurt suffered a shock 4-3 defeat at already-relegated Schalke 04 last weekend.

Beating RB Leipzig to win the DFB-Pokal for the fifth time in the club's history has also helped ensure Edin Terzic will step down from his position as interim manager on a real high ahead of Marco Rose replacing him after Saturday's dead rubber against Leverkusen.

Dortmund's main focus will now be on keeping the likes of Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland at the club this summer, with the dynamic duo understandably attracting interest from several major European clubs. If BVB are to compete with Bayern Munich next season, their recruitment must be watertight.

Leverkusen announced a huge managerial decision of their own earlier this week, with current Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane set to become the club's new head coach ahead of next season.

Seoane was responsible for leading the Swiss outfit to a shock 6-3 aggregate victory against Leverkusen in the Europa League first knockout round earlier this year, so the 42-year-old clearly caught the eye of the German side's hierarchy.

Hannes Wolf had stepped in as interim manager following the dismissal of Peter Bosz towards the end of March, with the 40-year-old performing very respectably to ensure Leverkusen will compete in European competition once again next season.

With Union Berlin five points behind Die Werkself in the table with only two matches remaining, Wolf knew all his players had to do was avoid defeat against Urs Fischer's side last weekend in order for them to wrap up a Europa League spot.

Florian Wirtz's 26th-minute opener always made that look likely, with Joel Pohjanpalo's second-half equaliser resulting in a share of the spoils.

Having been top of the table in mid-December after a brilliant start to the campaign, Leverkusen may look back on this season as a lost opportunity, but they can hope for better days to come under Seoane next season.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • D



Team News

Dortmund will remain without Marwin Hitz, Mateu Morey, Youssoufa Moukoko, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Axel Witsel and Marcel Schmelzer due to injury in Terzic's last match in charge.

Veteran defender Lukasz Piszczek will hope for a farewell start at right-back ahead of his retirement this summer, although the 35-year-old has suffered with a muscle issue in recent weeks.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, will travel without the suspended duo of Nadiem Amiri and Edmond Tapsoba after the pair both picked up their fifth bookings of the season against Union Berlin last week.

Sven Bender and Demarai Gray are likely to come into Wolf's final first XI as Leverkusen interim manager.

Exequiel Palacios, Daley Sinkgraven, Lars Bender, Leon Bailey, Lucas Alario, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Santiago Arias and Julian Baumgartlinger make up a lengthy treatment table, though.

Patrik Schick is a doubt due to an ankle issue and may not be risked ahead of representing Czech Republic at Euro 2020, with Karim Bellarabi potentially coming in on the right flank and Wirtz utilised as a false nine.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Burki; Piszczek, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro; Can, Bellingham, Dahoud; Sancho, Haaland, Reus

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tah, Dragovic, Bender; Diaby, Aranguiz, Demirbay, Wendell; Bellarabi, Wirtz, Gray


We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Both sides can play without pressure given that they have already secured their main aim of recent months, which could help create an open game.

However, Leverkusen's injury crisis makes Dortmund heavy favourites, especially with the likes of Sancho and Haaland in superb form of late as they look to impress potential suitors.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data




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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CBayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen32266082235984
2Stuttgart33224774393570
3Bayern MunichBayern32223790414969
4RB Leipzig32196774363863
5Borussia DortmundDortmund32179664402460
6Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt32111294847145
7Freiburg32118134355-1241
8Hoffenheim32117145664-840
9Augsburg33109144958-939
10Heidenheim32911124553-838
11Werder Bremen32108144352-938
12Wolfsburg32107154051-1137
13Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach32712135562-733
14VfL BochumVfL Bochum32712134165-2433
15Union BerlinUnion Berlin3286182954-2530
16Mainz 05Mainz32514133350-1729
17FC Koln32412162454-3024
RSV Darmstadt 98Darmstadt3238213076-4617
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