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The German Bundesliga returns after the winter break on Friday with Borussia Dortmund at home against defending champion Bayer Leverkusen. Nuri Sahin’s men host Xabi Alonso’s side at Signal Iduna Park, with BVB having won just one of their last five games before Christmas. Dortmund beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 to go into half-time, losing one and drawing two in their last three home games, but winning all eleven before that.
Leverkusen beat Freiburg 5-1 before the winter break, with Patrik Schick scoring four and Die Werkself will look to build on that in early 2025. Alonso’s team seemed to have slipped a bit in the title race as their 13 points fell to six. matches, but only four are back from Bayern Munich in first place. B04 won their three most recent away games, but also failed to win the previous five on the road.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday January 10 | Time: 2:30 PM ET
- Location: Signal Iduna Park – Dortmund, Germany
- Watch: ESPN Deportes | Current: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: Dortmund +180; Sign +250; Leverkusen +140
This season so far
Dortmund are sixth with 25 points out of a possible 45, while Leverkusen are second with 32 points, putting them four away from the top. With 28 goals scored, BVB are the sixth most attacking team in the Bundesliga, but the last time they scored just 47 goals in a period was in 2014/15. Sahin’s men scored 22 goals, which ranks eighth in the German top flight with just three clean sheets in fifteen games. B04 have won their last eight competitive matches in all competitions, including their last five Bundesliga games, which coincided with a four-point loss at the hands of Bayern. Die Werkself have also scored 16 goals from their last five league games, but could only keep their opponents out once.
Team news
Dortmund: Pascal Gross is suspended while Niklas Sule is injured, so Gregor Kobel should have Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck in front of him, while Emre Can and Felix Nmecha protect them. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens should start with Serhou Guirassy and Julian Brandt further down the field.
Possible Dortmund XI: Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Kan; Bynoe-Gittens, Brandt, Bavaria; Guirassy.
Leverkusen: Amine Adli is out, although Victor Boniface could return, while Schick should remain in charge, supported by Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella. Jeanuel Belocian is out for a long period of time, so Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie should start. It is not certain whether Granit Xhaka will start, but he could partner Exequiel Palacios in the middle if he proves his fitness.
Possible Leverkusen XI: Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Arrange.
Prediction
This is likely to be a close match as competitive action resumes, so don’t be surprised by a draw, even if Leverkusen could overshadow the match with a goal. Choose: Dortmund 1, Leverkusen 2.