How do Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen stack up ahead of their Matchday 29 clash?
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund host UEFA Champions League-chasing Bayer Leverkusen in a potentially pivotal clash as we approach the business end of the campaign. This is how the two teams stack up ahead of Saturday's Matchday 29 encounter…
The last league encounter between the two sides proved to be something of a turning point in their respective seasons. Dortmund’s 2-1 victory at the BayArena in November, courtesy of a fine brace from Germany international Karim Adeyemi, helped Niko Kovač's side leapfrog Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table.
Dortmund moved up to second that day and have just about held onto that position ever since. By contrast, Leverkusen have slid from third to sixth, meaning they’re currently outside the UEFA Champions League qualification places.
Watch: Dortmund won in Leverkusen earlier this season
The form guide
In addition to the current league standings, the form books paint a rosier picture for Dortmund.
The Black-Yellows have won their last four Bundesliga games in a row to consolidate second place and put 14 points between themselves and fifth. Niko Kovač's side have only lost twice in the league all season, but a few too many draws (seven in total) have proved costly in their pursuit of the title. With six games to go, they're nine points adrift of top spot.
While Dortmund could secure their place in next season's Champions League with a win this weekend, Leverkusen's own hopes of finishing in the top four hang in the balance.
Kasper Hjulmand's team are some 15 points behind Dortmund and four adrift of the coveted top four. They haven't won back-to-back league games since the end of January, while four of their last six fixtures have ended in draws.
Watch: Leverkusen beat Wolfsburg 6-3 last time out
Defensive record
In terms of goals scored, there's very little between Dortmund (60) and Bayer (58), but BVB have been much better at protecting their own net, with nine fewer goals conceded than their regional rivals. In fact, Dortmund's Gregor Kobel has the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in the Bundesliga this season, with 13 from 28 games – three more than any other custodian.
His 13th shut-out came on Matchday 28 as Kovać’s men resolutely withstood sustained pressure from fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart's fearsome attack to secure a 2-0 away win. While they haven’t been the prettiest side to watch at times this season, they have certainly developed a knack for grinding out results in testing circumstances.
This has been especially true on home soil, as Dortmund have lost just once at Signal Iduna Park all season, to – you guessed it – runaway leaders Bayern Munich. If only home results counted, Dortmund would be just two points behind the Bavarian giants in the Bundesliga table, with the same amount of goals conceded.
Watch: Dortmund late show stuns Stuttgart
As such, picking up a win in Dortmund won’t be an easy task for Leverkusen, although their away form does offer some hope. The 2023/24 Bundesliga champions have won six of their 14 away matches in the Bundesliga so far this season and, just days after their league loss to Dortmund, prevailed 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park in the DFB Cup last 16.
Attacking prowess
Both sides have potential matchwinners all over the pitch, capable of turning the tide with a moment of individual brilliance.
Dortmund's top scorer is the 13-goal Serhou Guirassy, but Adeyemi is arguably the player with the most to prove on Matchday 29. The forward has endured a mixed campaign overall, having been left out of Kovać's starting XI in big games and dropped from Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad.
Nevertheless, he bounced back from his form slump in great style on Matchday 28, after brilliantly netting his seventh league goal of the season in the 2-0 victory at Stuttgart. Keep doing that, and he might just earn a spot in Nagelsmann's FIFA World Cup squad, after all.
Another player hoping to make a good impression this weekend is former Leverkusen ace Julian Brandt. The German midfielder, who will leave Dortmund on a free transfer in the summer, has 14 goal involvements in all competitions this term, underlining how much his absence will be felt in 2026/27.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen may have to look to a defender - not a forward - for their best chance of causing an upset.
Left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has been in scintillating form since the beginning of March, having notched a brace of goals and assists in his last two matches, taking his combined number of Bundesliga goal involvements in 2025/26 to 15. He isn’t Bayer’s only attacking weapon, however.
Forwards Christian Kofane and Patrik Schick have scored 23 goals combined in all competitions, while 20-year-old sensation Ibrahim Maza has the chance to be the match-winner at Signal Iduna Park for the second time this season, after scoring the only goal of the game in the DFB Cup match between the two sides back in November.
Following Bayern’s dramatic 3-2 win at Freiburg on Matchday 28, Dortmund’s hopes of winning the Bundesliga title this season are beginning to fade. And yet, with the leaders still in the Champions League and DFB Cup, anything is possible for BVB, who can – temporarily at least – reduce Bayern’s league lead to six points before they play against St. Pauli on Saturday night.
For Leverkusen, the objective from now until the end of May is crystal clear: qualify for the Champions League and go all the way in the DFB Cup. With ground to make up on the league's top-four teams, Die Werkself cannot afford any more slip-ups.
Related news
Matchday 29 probable teams
Will Guirassy, Silva or both start when Dortmund host Leverkusen on Saturday?
Will the Bundesliga earn fifth Champions League spot?
The Bundesliga is in the running to have at least five teams in the Champions League for 2026/27.
German clubs in Europe: fixtures, results and draws
Seven Bundesliga teams started the season in UEFA competitions across the Champions, Europa and Conference League. Find out how they've been getting on here...