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

Just three days on from their big Bundesliga encounter, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen are ready for another tango as both teams meet in the third round of the DFB-Pokal.

The Prussians prevailed in Saturday’s league match, and they will now have their eyes on a repeat as they welcome Die Werkself to the iconic Signal Iduna Park.

Match preview

Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga as goals from Aaron Anselmino and Karim Adeyemi ensured a 2-1 victory away at the BayArena.

Niko Kovac and his men endured a couple of disappointing league draws prior to that fixture, and a win was certainly needed for their pursuit of the seemingly indomitable table-toppers, Bayern Munich.

The Prussians will put their league ambitions aside this Tuesday night, turning their attention to the DFB-Pokal instead – a competition which they last won four years ago.

Success-starved supporters at Signal Iduna Park would love nothing more than yet another memorable cup run, though it is fair to say that Dortmund’s progress in the competition has been slow.

After narrowly beating third-tier side Rot-Weiss Essen in the opening round, Dortmund hardly squeaked past Eintracht Frankfurt – beating their top-tier rivals 4-2 on penalties to reach the round-of-16.

Ultimately, results are the only thing that matter, and the Prussians will be determined to add another ‘W’ in the form column when they welcome the recent German champions.

Before their defeat on Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen were on a run of four straight victories, boasting an aggregate score of 12-1 throughout the course of that time.

Seeing that run come to an end against Dortmund over the weekend must have been frustrating for Die Werkself, who were beginning to build some serious momentum on both the domestic and European scenes.

Leverkusen have performed well under head coach Kasper Hjulmand, who controversially replaced the Erik ten Hag just three games into the campaign.

Following recent successes under Xabi Alonso, there is a certain level of expectation on Leverkusen, and Hjulmand has largely lived up to those standards – bar a couple of significant defeats.

Having won the DFB-Pokal just a couple of seasons ago, Die Werkself have fresh memories of success in this competition – something they will be looking to channel as they prepare for a tough trip to Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund DFB Pokal form:

W W

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

W L D D W W

Bayer Leverkusen DFB Pokal form:

W W

Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

L W W W W L

Team News

Borussia Dortmund forward Maximilian Beier marked his return from the international break with an excellent performance against Stuttgart – scoring and assisting in a 3-3 draw.

Unfortunately for Kovac, the player has since picked up a muscle injury and missed the last two outings.

Defender Niklas Sule has also been out of action, with the defender still struggling with his ongoing toe injury.

Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, are dealing with several injury problems, meaning a number of players will be sidelined for Tuesday’s cup clash.

Brazil’s Arthur, for instance, has been dealing with a back injury since November’s international break, and he remains a doubt.

Ezequiel Fernandez has been dealing with a knee problem for over a month, while fellow Argentine Exequiel Palacios is currently troubled by his groin.

Teenager Axel Tape has been dealing with a thigh issue, while Lucas Vazquez has been out for some time with a muscle injury.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anselmino, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Brandt, Adeyemi; Guirassy

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Andrich, Bade, Tapsoba; Hofmann, Maza, García, Grimaldo; Tillman, Poku; Schick

We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen

Just like a good old-fashioned boxing rivalry, a rematch can often be a lot more thrilling than the original encounter.

The feeling-out process was completed on Saturday, and now it is time to see some fireworks – a show which we expect to go in favour of the home side, who have not lost a home game since March.

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