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Borussia Dortmund are set to cross swords with Bayer Leverkusen at the Signal Iduna Park, on Saturday.
Both sides, after having made perfect starts to the campaign, slipped up before the season's first international break. While the hosts succumbed to a shock defeat to newly-promoted Union Berlin, Leverkusen played out an entertaining draw with Hoffenheim a fortnight ago.
This match now takes on more importance for Dortmund, as a victory here could pile pressure on the likes of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, who are slated to battle it out this weekend against each other.
History favors Lucien Favre's troops, as they have outclassed Leverkusen in each of their last three meetings. They are unbeaten in the last five matches against the same opposition, while at home, BVB have proven to be simply ruthless.
Dortmund have emerged victorious in their last four matches at home against Bayer, scoring at least three goals in each game. However, there is an added twist in that neither side has beaten the other five times in a row at home.
Dortmund are expected to have a majority of the crosses, chances created and possession. They have proved how clinical they can be as well, unleashing their deadly attacking firepower against Augsburg and Koln.
The visitors will have to be wary of that threat, but given how they've played their football so far, Peter Bosz's side will be keen to exploit the gaps Dortmund are expected to leave. Ultimately, this may well turn out to be an end-to-end contest, with both sides cancelling each other out.
This can be further validated by the fact that Dortmund have scored at least twice in each of their last 18 home games.
Dortmund will provide opportunities for sure; it'll boil down to how clinical the visiting unit can be on the night. Should they win, Leverkusen would register a fifth straight away league win - the last time they achieved this feat was way back in 1998.
Verdict
Expect goals in this fixture. Paco Alcacer and Jadon Sancho might just find themselves on the score sheet again and hence, we predict last season's runners-up to emerge deserving winners in front of the yellow wall.
Predicted score: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen
