Important Dortmund players missing, Openda’s odds

RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund

Top game in the trade fair city!

Important points will be won in the race for fourth place at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon, with RB Leipzig hosting Borussia Dortmund (3.30pm kick-off).

Our 3-2 win in December’s reverse fixture was already a thriller. Yussuf Poulsen scored our winning goal in stoppage time. Niklas Füllkrug‘s late strike for BVB was too little, too late.

While Mats Hummels received an early dismissal, Willi Orban was injured. Now the two leaders will probably go head-to-head.

Here we bring you the most important match-ups including stats for the Bundesliga clash!

How things stand

Tabele

Leipzig against Dortmund, fourth against fifth! With 59 points, we are currently two points ahead of BVB (57). With a win, RBL would take a huge step towards their sixth Champions League qualification in a row with three games left to play – regardless of whether fifth place would also mean a seat at European football’s top table this year.
Incidentally, third place (currently occupied by VfB Stuttgart with 63 points) is still within reach…

Current form

The Red Bulls are surfing the wave of success! We haven’t lost in eight competitive games, and in the Bundesliga we recently won 19 out of 21 points and clocked three wins in a row. Our boys haven’t conceded a goal at home in five games!
Die Schwarzgelben, meanwhile, come to us on Saturday with a big success behind them. Dortmund overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid with a 4-2 home win in the second, and are now in the semi-finals where Paris Saint-Germain await.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia recently drew 1-1 with new Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Dortmund’s starting XI last time out
Kobel – Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen – Sabitzer, Can (C), Brandt – Bynoe-Gittens, Füllkrug, Sancho

Missing for BVB

Donyell Malen (possible knee problem)
Ramy Bensebaini (inner ligament injury)
Sebastian Haller (ankle injury)
Ian Maatsen (5 yellow cards)
Emre Can (5 yellow cards)

Die Topscorer

Shot-stoppers: Peter Gulacsi vs. Gregor Kobel

Peter Gulacsi

Age: 33
Games: 10
Minutes: 900
Goals against: 6
Clean sheets: 5
Saves: 77% (second among goalkeepers with at last 10 games)

A milestone for Peter Gulacsi! One of our veteran players is expected to play his 300th competitive game against Dortmund. And the towering Leipzig No.1 is in top shape. With Pete in the box, we haven’t lost in the Bundesliga yet this season. Overall balance: 10 games, eight wins, two draws – only six goals conceded. Top drawer!

Gregor Kobel

Age: 26
Games: 24
Minutes: 2,096
Goals against: 29
Clean sheet: 6
Saves: 73% (third among goalkeepers with at least 10 games)

The undisputed BVB No.1, a top performer and a club vice-captain: Gregor Kobel is one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. The Switzerland international, 26, commands his penalty area and has outstanding reflexes.

* All games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season taken into account

The veterans: Willi Orban vs. Mats Hummels

Willi Orban

Age: 31
Games: 15
Minutes: 1,223
Fouls: 12
Duel success: 62% (126 of 203)
Aerial duels: 62% (53 of 86)
Yellow cards: 2

Willi Orban reached 300 games for Leipzig against Real Madrid in the Champions League at the beginning of March. Unfortunately, his equaliser at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu wasn’t enough to advance to the last 16. Our captain now has 306 games – only Yussuf Poulsen (394) has more in the current squad. There is no question the defensive leader is a crucial player for Marco Rose!

Mats Hummels

Age: 35
Games: 23
Minutes: 1,440
Fouls: 12
Duel success: 61% (175 of 286 )
Aerial duels: 64% (44 of 69)
Yellow cards: 4

The 35-year-old “Mr. Reliable” has shown his strength and reading of the game. With 503 games, the 2014 world champion has the most appearances of all current Dortmund players. Only Michael Zorc (572) is ahead of him all-time.

* All games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season taken into account

The engine room: David Raum vs. Marcel Sabitzer

David Raum

Age: 26
Games: 29
Minutes: 2,565
Goals: 2
Assists: 9
Crosses: 135 (Bundesliga-high!)
Distance covered: 320,7km (seventh league-wide)
Challenges won: 55% (243 of 442)

David Raum just celebrated his 26th birthday. And our left-back earned his cake on 22 April: he has been marauding up and down the left flank this season, and sends cross after cross into the opposition penalty area.

The stats prove this: The Germany international racked up the most distance covered of all RBL players and is also the most prolific crosser in the entire Bundesliga! On top of that, he also wins the vast majority of duels.

Marcel Sabitzer

Age: 30
Games: 23
Minutes: 1,856
Goals: 4
Assists: 3
Crosses: 11
Distance covered: 246,8 km
Challenges won: 49% (158 of 322)

Marcel Sabitzer isn’t a winger, but still gets up and down from box to box. The former RBL leader, who played at Cottaweg between 2014 and 2021 (229 games, 52 goals, 42 assists), has been one of Dortmund’s strongest players of late. Sabitzer has impressed with his intensive running whilst winning his direct duels.

And he also boosted his team’s attacking game at the same time. The Austrian has scored two goals in the last three games and contributed much more.

* All games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season taken into account

The creative department: Xavi vs. Julian Brandt

Xavi

Age: 21
Games: 29
Minutes: 2,424
Goals: 7
Assists: 12 (second league-wide)
Touches: 1,787
Fouls drawn: 68 (Bundesliga-high!)
Dribbles: 60% (78 of 130)

Will Xavi be the X factor again on Saturday? The young Dutchman sets the tone in attack and and repeatedly puts Lois Openda in the spotlight. Both form an exceptional duo! Xavi can of course also finish chance off himself. With his speed and dribbling strength, he can usually only be stopped with a foul. Our mega talent has already been fouled 68 times, more than any other player in the league.

Julian Brandt

Age: 27
Games: 28
Minutes: 2,044
Goals: 6
Assists: 11 (Third best league-wide)
Touches: 1,411
Fouls drawn: 12x
Dribbles: 41% (24 of 59)

Xavi‘s counterpart Julian Brandt has also been strong in the last few weeks. BVB’s attacking orchestrator particularly well in the UCL second leg against Atletico Madrid. The 27-year-old is one of the best technical players in Germany, dynamic and always on the move towards the opponent’s goal. Brandt also has an eye for the man next to him and has already assisted 11 goals – second-best in the top flight!

* All games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season taken into account

The sprinters: Lois Openda vs. Karim Adeyemi

Lois Openda

Age: 24
Games: 30
Minutes: 2.371
Goals: 23 (third best league-wide)
Assists: 6
Shots: 108 (second most league-wide)
Top speed: 36,09 km/h

Lois Openda has been unstoppable for months! The third-top corer in the Bundesliga (23 goals) has even improved compared to the first half of the season. “Bouzou” has already made 12 goals in the second half of the season and has been involved in directly involved in eight across the last five games (six goals, two assists).

Thanks to his impressive speed, Leipzig’s No.17 often outruns his opponents – at 36.09km/h, Openda is the fastest player in our team! Benjamin Sesko is second in this category (35.47 km/h).

Karim Adeyemi

Age: 22
Games: 18
Minutes: 778
Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Shots: 16
Top speed: 35,09 km/h

This means that our two attackers are faster than Karim Adeyemi on Borussia’s side. But the winger is also a real arrow with 35.09 km/h. The whirlwind, who needs to be particularly careful about his speedy dribbling, has struggled with injuries this season. Towards the end of the campaign, Adeyemi has got going again and is an important piece of the puzzle in the BVB attack.

* All games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season taken into account