Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund

Signal Iduna Park forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Bundesliga showdown between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund closed the last calendar year on a high, dispatching Wolfsburg 3-1 to register their first Bundesliga win on the road this season and snap a dismal run of three consecutive 1-1 league draws. Frustratingly, each stalemate saw Nuri Sahin’s side concede an equalizer inside the final 20 minutes of the second half. That was incidentally the case in both top-flight meetings with Leverkusen last term. Back at Signal Iduna Park, ‘Die Borussen’ will be out to end a three-match winless home streak in all competitions (D2, L1) and defy an underwhelming record of just one win from their last three Bundesliga H2Hs here (D1, L1). Despite many ominous signs, Dortmund remain one of only two teams in Germany’s elite division yet to lose a home league fixture this season (W6, D2).

In the meantime, Bayer Leverkusen’s faltering Bundesliga title defense is back on track. Indeed, five consecutive league wins toward the end of 2025 saw Xabi Alonso’s side reduce the gap on table-topping Bayern Munich to only four points, with three victories in that sequence coming via multi-goal margins. Furthermore, ‘Die Werkself’ are the only Bundesliga club to go unbeaten in all away league matches this season (W4, D3), extending their incredible undefeated run on the road to 24. Adding to that tally would require the reigning champions to become the first team in the Bundesliga this season to win six games on the trot. That could prove easier said than done, knowing they’ve failed to beat Dortmund in their last four top-flight H2Hs (D2, L2).