Key match on Saturday: BVB want more in Leipzig

Key match on Saturday: BVB want more in Leipzig The scenario Borussia Dortmund travel to Saxony on the back of six Bundesliga wins and a 2-0 home victory against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League during the week. Things have also been going well away from home recently, with the Black & Yellows avoiding defeat in any of their last seven Bundesliga away games, winning four of them.

“We're in good form at the moment; everyone can see that. We want to take this momentum with us to Leipzig and, of course, we want to get the three points,” says BVB coach Niko Kovac. Borussia are currently 11 points ahead of Leipzig in the table and can increase their lead over a rival in the battle for Champions League places on Saturday.

“We're entering the final third of the season, which is crunch time,” says Kovac. “We know it's that time of the season because the knockout games have started in the Champions League. There's also a lot at stake in the Bundesliga because many teams want to get into the Champions League and some teams don't want to be relegated.” Looking at his own team, the coach explains: “The team is developing very positively.

We're on the right track. The next game is the most important one, and that's Leipzig on Saturday.” Personnel matters The list of absentees is unchanged from the match against Atalanta and still includes the four centre-backs Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Filippo Mane.

Schlotterbeck was back on the pitch on Thursday and “feels good”, according to Kovac, who also explained: “We don't want to take too much of a risk. We have to be patient.” This could mean another chance for youngster Luca Reggiani. After a one-minute cameo against Wolfsburg, half an hour against Mainz and 90 minutes against Atalanta, Kovac praised the 18-year-old: “He's certainly had two really good games.

He's physically fit and coped very well with the game. But we'll also have to be careful not to burn him out. We'll have to see how we can manage his playing time.” The opponent Leipzig have won only one of their last five competitive matches, have been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal and have slipped out of the Champions League places – the Saxons are in fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Stuttgart.

Nevertheless, Kovac emphasises: “Leipzig have a very good team with a lot of potential. They showed against Bayern, both in the return leg and in the cup, that they were close. We are not underestimating them despite their recent results.” One possible advantage for Leipzig is that they are not currently playing in Europe, so they only have to fight for points at the weekend.

“They can prepare every little detail, they have the necessary freshness, and they also have a lot of fit players,” said Kovac. “That's why we'll have to give 100% there too.” Reunion Dortmund's Daniel Svensson and Leipzig's Conrad Harder know each other from their time together at FC Nordsjaelland. Sweden's Svensson joined the Danish first division club's youth team in 2020, while Denmark's Harder arrived in 2019.

Both made the step up to the first team and played together in 36 first-team matches. While Svensson is at home in defence, Harder is responsible for scoring goals. In 2024, their paths diverged, with Harder moving to Sporting Lisbon and then to Leipzig a year later and Svensson joining BVB at the beginning of 2025.

Christina Reinke The scenarioBorussia Dortmund travel to Saxony on the back of six Bundesliga wins and a 2-0 home victory against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League during the week. Things have also been going well... The scenarioBorussia Dortmund travel to Saxony on the back of six Bundesliga wins and a 2-0 home victory against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League during the week.