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

Borussia Dortmund will be looking to bag their fifth straight Bundesliga victory when they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Signal Iduna Park this Saturday afternoon.

All the pressure will be on the visitors, who are four points adrift in the race for Champions League qualification, with six matchdays remaining.

Match preview

Safe in second place but miles away from the title, Borussia Dortmund find themselves in a familiar position as we approach the season finale.

There are nine points separating Die Borussen and league leaders Bayern Munich, which must be a tad demoralising for Niko Kovac and his men, who have only lost two Bundesliga games this entire season.

Despite failing to make a serious dent in the league, cup or Champions League campaigns, Kovac has recently received public backing from the club’s sporting director, Lars Ricken.

The current boss also appears to have the backing of his current squad, with a run of four straight victories in the Bundesliga backing up that notion.

Dortmund returned from the international break with an impressive 2-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart away from home, and they will now be looking to topple another top-four contender in Bayer Leverkusen.

Kovac and his men have already beaten Die Werkself earlier this term, and BVB will now be setting their sights on an impressive season double over the recent title winners.

While Dortmund can chill in second place for the remainder of the season, Leverkusen are facing a race against time as they look to secure Champions League qualification.

Ahead of the weekend, Kasper Hjulmand and his men occupy sixth spot in the standings, trailing fourth-placed Stuttgart by four points with six games to go.

Die Werkself went into the international break on the back of three successive league draws, but they ultimately ended their run of stalemates with a thrilling 6-3 victory over relegation-threatened Wolfsburg last weekend.

Missing out on Champions League football would represent a major backwards step in what has been a successful few years for the club, though there is hope after rivals Stuttgart and Hoffenheim both dropped points in recent times.

Generally speaking, April has the makings of a massive month for Leverkusen, with the club taking on Dortmund, a cup semi-final clash with Bayern Munich, and a derby battle away at FC Koln.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

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Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

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Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form:

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Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

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Team News

Borussia Dortmund head into the weekend without their suspended forward Karim Adeyemi, who backed up his goal against Stuttgart with his fifth booking of the season.

Influential star Emre Can continues to nurse a knee injury and will remain on the sidelines for this weekend’s clash.

Felix Nmecha missed out on the game against Stuttgart with a knee injury, and he is expected to sit out Saturday’s match. The same could be true of young defender Filippo Mane, who is struggling with a thigh problem.

Former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah is the big injury doubt for Bayer Leverkusen, with the Englishman missing last weekend’s thriller against Wolfsburg due to a thigh issue.

Fellow defenders Arthur and Lucas Vazquez have both been out since February, and their return is not on the cards this weekend.

Frenchman Martin Terrier is unlikely to feature, with the 29-year-old currently nursing a hamstring injury.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Bellingham, Sabitzer, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Andrich, Bade, Tapsoba; Culbreath, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Maza, Poku; Schick

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen

Tough game to call. Bayer Leverkusen will be desperate to close the gap on the top four, but there are concerns about their defence, which has shipped six goals in two games.

Despite being locked in second place, Borussia Dortmund have been terrific in recent weeks, and we expect another top performance from the hosts. A high-scoring draw is the way to go in this one.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.