Team form 

Leverkusen have been in fantastic form since sensationally sacking former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag at the start of September after just two games in the German top-flight. 

They’ve lost just one of their nine games since, an expected defeat to champions-elect Bayern Munich, and have won an impressive seven times. 

Leverkusen have the joint-second best attack in the league, behind the free-scoring Bayern, with 27 goals so far, but have the worst defensive record in the top four, having let in 15. 

Dortmund’s form has been something of a mixed bag in the last five games. They suffered their first defeat of the season against rivals Bayern in mid-October but bounced back with wins over Koln and Augsburg. 

However, BVB have been held to frustrating draws for the last two weeks in a row. Firstly, Hamburg secured a point in the 97^th minute before Stuttgart snatched a 3-3 draw in injury time last week. 

Niko Kovac will be hoping his side will have more luck on their side this weekend when they travel to Leverkusen. 

Head-to-head

Dortmund are narrowly favoured in the recent head-to-head meetings between the two sides, with two wins, two draws and a sole victory for Leverkusen in the last five games. 

The visitors came out on top in a six-goal thriller at this venue when they last met in the Bundesliga back in May, coming from a goal down to win 4-2. 

What’s concerning is that Leverkusen haven’t beaten Dortmund at home since a 2-1 win in 2021, marking a winless streak of four games, three of which ended in defeat. 

This fixture is often a scoring frenzy, with both teams finding the back of the net in eight of the last 10 meetings.

Team news

Leverkusen are wearing thin at the back, with right-backs Lucas Vazquez and Arthur both sidelined, alongside promising centre-back Axel Tape. 

Kasper Hjulmand also has worries in midfield, as Exequeil Palacios and Equi Fernandez are both still out of action. 

Out-of-favour centre-back Niklas Sule remains sidelined with a toe injury that has kept him sidelined since the end of October, while Ramy Bensebaini is still battling back problems for Dortmund. 

Key stats

• Leverkusen have averaged an impressive 2.5 goals per game in the Bundesliga this season, while Dortmund have averaged 1.7 goals per game. 

• BVB have a solid defensive record, conceding 0.9 goals per game, while Leverkusen have conceded 1.4 goals per game on average. 

• Leverkusen have been carded 2.2 times per game on average this season, with Dortmund receiving 1.6 cards per game on average, 

• Czech forward Patrik Schick has five goals and two assists in nine Bundesliga games for Leverkusen. 

• Serhou Guirassy scored five goals and an assist in 10 German top-flight games for BVB. 

Prediction

There’s very little to separate these two sides, but there's a slight preference for Leverkusen based on form. 

Expect both teams to score in a classic, high-octane Bundesliga affair, with the home side to win it 3-2.