Bundesliga: Leipzig and BVB Stake Their Undefeated Streaks on the Line

RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund

Fresh from their midweek Champions League matches, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund are going to lock horns anew at the Red Bull Arena.

These two sides have been title contenders in the Bundesliga especially in recent years. But this time, they find themselves experiencing contrasting fortunes.

Borussia Dortmund have been steady at second place with 24 points and they have another chance to move up to the summit since they’re only trailing by one point behind Bayern Munich – who have a big game against SC Freiburg.

On the other hand, RB Leipzig have been faring well lately after a slow start under Jesse Marsch and now they’re at eighth place with 15 points.

SBOTOP football fans can certainly expect a ton of Bundesliga 2021 highlights from this contest, so read on below as we analyse these two clubs in today’s match preview.

Talking Points

RB Leipzig finally gaining rhythm

After experiencing growing pains from the beginning, RB Leipzig look to have finally figured it out under the guidance of Jesse Marsch.

Since losing to Bayern Munich and Manchester City last September, RB Leipzig have shown steady progress although they are far from a finished product.

Christopher Nkunku, Dominik Szoboslai, and Emil Forsberg have shouldered the scoring load by accounting for 17 goals and six assists while summer acquisition Andre Silva finally opened his scoring account with three goals and three assists.

Their Champions League group stage campaign has been abysmal, but they’ve shown some teeth in their 2-2 draw against PSG yesterday.

PSG were poised to grab all three points through first-half goals from Gini Wijnaldum, but RB Leipzig found their equaliser through a converted penalty from Dominik Szoboslai.

Fortunately for Jesse Marsch in this upcoming game, he doesn’t have much selection headaches even if his team will only get a few days of rest.

We should see almost the same starting XI from yesterday especially with full-backs Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann sidelined due to injuries.

Borussia Dortmund’s injury list isn’t getting any better

In stark contrast to Leipzig, Dortmund are dealt with a bad hand in terms of lineup selections.

Top striker Erling Haaland remains out alongside Nico Schulz and Gio Reyna, while Mahmoud Dahoud, Emre Can, Raphael Guerreiro, and Marcel Schmelzer are all considered doubts.

The fact that BVB stayed at second despite their undermanned group speaks volumes to Marco Rose’s management. Although like Leipzig, there’s more work to do on their part.

Dortmund couldn’t solve the Ajax puzzle for the second straight time yesterday as they were humiliated once more – capped off by a red card to Mats Hummels near the half-hour mark.

Bundesliga: Can Borussia Dortmund win three points away from home against RB Leipzig? — Mats Hummels walks off the pitch after being sent off during the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Ajax

Losing Hummels in their next Champions League contest will be a huge blow for BVB. However, he should be available in this encounter against Leipzig.

Like the Red Bulls, Dortmund are only afforded a few days of rest and Marco Rose should maintain his previous starting lineup.

Gregor Kobel, Thomas Meunier, Felix Passlack, and Manuel Akanji join Mats Hummels at the backline while Jude Bellingham, Thorgan Hazard, Marco Reus, and Donyell Malen should lead the attack.

History

Borussia Dortmund have a clear advantage in their overall head-to-heads against RB Leipzig. BVB are undefeated against Leipzig in the Bundesliga (W5, D2) and they’ve scored at least two goals in those contests.

These two clubs last faced each other in the DFB-Pokal final where Borussia Dortmund came out victorious with a 4-1 scoreline. Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho each had a brace while Dani Olmo scored the lone goal for the Red Bulls.

RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund are two of the hottest teams in the Bundesliga today given their recent forms.

Marco Rose’s boys have won each of their last four league games while Jesse Marsch’s group are unbeaten in their last six. The Red Bulls have also won each of their last three home matches.

Betting Tip

	RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund	RB Leipzig Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 1.78
	November 07, 01:30 (GMT+8)

Despite being placed lower at the table, RB Leipzig are apparently favoured by the Bundesliga 2021 odds.

The Red Bulls are priced at 2.04 to win, whereas Borussia Dortmund are installed at 3.20 and chances for a draw are at 3.75 in the 1×2 market.

If this match took place earlier this season, there’s no doubt that Borussia Dortmund should have the upper hand. However, a lot has changed since then.

This should be a close match with both sides at least scoring one goal, but we may have to give RB Leipzig the slight edge here as Borussia Dortmund’s injury list doesn’t bode well for them.