Bundesliga: Leverkusen Put Their Winning Streak on the Line Against BVB 

Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund are keen on getting back into the top four, but they’re in for a tough test against Bayer Leverkusen when they pay a visit to the BayArena on Sunday.

After losing two straight Bundesliga matches prior to the start of 2023, Edin Terzic’s men have now won back-to-back, so they’re currently in fifth place with 31 points, and they can go as high as third with a victory here.

Bayer Leverkusen continue to fly under Xabi Alonso, but they still have to make up some ground. They have now won five consecutive league games, and they have yet to lose at home under his guidance.

Read on below as SBOTOP offers a preview for this much-awaited matchup.

Talking Points

All hands on deck for Leverkusen

With five league wins on the bounce, Bayer Leverkusen are now eighth in the table, which is their highest position so far in 2022-23 and they have Xabi Alonso to thank for that.

Before Xabi Alonso arrived, Die Werkself were at the bottom of the Bundesliga under Gerardo Seoane, who was promptly fired after losing 2-0 to Porto in the Champions League.

Everyone is clicking under Xabi Alonso since 15 different Leverkusen players have already found the back of the net this season. Moussa Diaby and Jeremie Frimpong have benefited from Xabi Alonso’s new ideas, as they lead the team in scoring with eight and five goals, respectively.

And the return of Florian Wirtz has been a boon for Die Werkself, picking up where he left off by teeing up Adam Hlozek for their second goal in their 2-0 victory over VfL Bochum on Thursday.

Centre-back Edmond Tapsoba was the other Leverkusen goalscorer in the said match, as he converted the penalty during the eighth minute.

Xabi Alonso should also be commended for revitalising Bayer Leverkusen’s defence. He has drawn out the best out of the Edmond Tapsoba-Jonathan Tah centre-half partnership, as they’ve secured clean sheets during their undefeated streak at home (4 of their last 5).

Reyna could be the difference for Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have turned around their fortunes this past week with huge wins against Augsburg and Mainz, although they needed the late heroics of Gio Reyna.

The American winger came off the bench in both of those games, and he delivered the important goals to help them claim six valuable points.

The strong start to 2023 will definitely help Reyna’s confidence, especially after a difficult few weeks during the winter break, as he was frozen on Team USA’s bench during the World Cup due to lack of effort.

Reyna now has four goals and two assists – an impressive return considering he has played sporadically so far this term.

There’s more good news for BVB this weekend, as their talisman Jude Bellingham is going to be available following his one-match ban. He will reunite with Julian Brandt in the midfield, while Emre Can is going to be back on the bench as a result.

History

Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in their reverse fixture earlier this season, as Marco Reus scored after 10 minutes. What made it worse for Leverkusen at the time was that they were reduced to 10 men when Lucas Hradecky was sent off late. 

Should BVB win again, it would be their first league double against Die Werkself since 2018-19, as both sides have notched a win apiece in each of the three seasons since.

They haven’t had a draw in their last 10 league matchups, with BVB winning seven times and Die Werkself winning three.

Their last meeting at the BayArena ended in a 4-3 win for Borussia Dortmund, but they’ve never recorded consecutive league away wins over Bayer Leverkusen since 1991.

Xabi Alonso is the first Bayer Leverkusen manager to be unbeaten in his team’s first five league home matches since Heiko Herrlich in 2017 (8 at the time).

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2023 odds expect a tight contest filled with Bundesliga 2023 highlights on Sunday. Hosts Bayer Leverkusen were given the slight edge to win at 2.44, while visitors Borussia Dortmund aren’t far behind at 2.76, and a draw is priced at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

We can expect goals from this fixture, which has been the case throughout the years except in their previous league encounter last August.

So, Over 2.75 @ 1.70 is the likeliest possibility for this one, while Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.15 or 4-6 @ 2.47 are viable betting alternatives as well.

 

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