Two Bundesliga underperformers, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, clash at the Red Bull Arena (March 15) in a match that could determine who takes the final Champions League slot.
Leipzig were tipped to provide competition for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen for the Meisterschale this season.
However, they have looked lethargic and tactically bankrupt, leading to calls for manager Marco Rose to leave the dugout.
At the time of writing, Leipzig have recorded just one win in their last eight Bundesliga games.
Their performances have been diabolical, dropping to sixth place, three points away from Mainz 05, who beat them last week to consolidate fourth place.
Leipzig need to respond, and a performance against Dortmund will go a long way to re-establishing confidence in a team currently lacking any semblance of it.
Meanwhile, Dortmund are languishing in tenth place, navigating another dreadful season littered with disappointment.
The decision to hire Nuri Sahin was ponderous, and he left the club in a horrendous position.
Dortmund made an adventurous decision to hire a manager with barely any experience, and it backfired, so they went for a tried and trusted option in Niko Kovac.
A few weeks into his tenure, and not much has changed.
Dortmund remain the same sterile side. However, they will take some confidence from winning successive Bundesliga games.
Also, as bad as they have been, BVB remain only six points away from fourth place and know they can clinch the slot if they get their act together over the final 10 games.
The stage is set for an epic showdown between entertaining Bundesliga sides, and fans can grab RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund tickets from Seatsnet.com before they sell out.
Match Preview
Rose is in the hot seat and needs results in the coming games to save his job (at least until the end of the season).
According to Bild, Leipzig held a crisis meeting after the defeat to Mainz. Ultimately, their new head of global soccer, Jurgen Klopp, convinced them to keep Rose in charge.
He appealed for patience with the 48-year-old, whom he knows from their time together at Mainz.
Die Roten Bullen crashed out of the Champions League unceremoniously in the group stage and the DFB-Pokal in the second round.
Their Bundesliga campaign has been a hot mess, with the team losing steam mid-way. They are struggling for form.
Their centre is particularly brittle, and opponents find ways to play around the weak pairing of Arthur Vermeeren and Kevin Kampl/Amadou Haidara in the engine room.
They have registered only one win in their last eight league games. Bereft of any confidence, they must find a way to step up their game against a seemingly resurgent BVB side.
On the other hand, Dortmund endured a bittersweet campaign last season but made the right call to dismiss the uninspiring Edin Terzic.
Unfortunately, the decision to hire the inexperienced Sahin made no sense from a sporting point of view.
He struggled to implement a cohesive style and constantly changed his set-up, depriving his team of any form of stability.
They suffered their worst start to a season in 10 years. The ex-BVB midfielder oversaw 27 competitive fixtures, winning 12, losing 11 and drawing four.
Sahin got the boot following a loss to Bologna in the Champions League.
In came Kovac, their eighth coach in 10 years, fresh from underwhelming in Bayern and Wolfsburg. His arrival has not turned their fortunes around.
While they have picked up successive wins in the league, they came against Union Berlin (14th) and St. Pauli (15th).
BVB continued to look listless as Lille came back from a goal down to claw a 1-1 draw in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg showdown.
They have not found their groove under the new manager but hope to secure a morale-boosting win against Leipzig as they bid to climb up the table over the final ten games left in the Bundesliga.
Head to Head
Leipzig have not lost to Dortmund on home soil since 2021. They have won all three encounters with BVB since that unfortunate defeat.
Over the past five meetings, Leipzig also have the upper hand, winning three (L2).
Die Roten Bullen and Dortmund have an even record over their last 10 clashes, with both sides winning five each.
Best XIs
Leipzig
Stalwart Peter Gulacsi is the starting guardian, but Rose will likely revert to a back four for the BVB visit, meaning Ridle Baku, Willi Orban, Castello Lukeba, and David Raum are expected to protect him.
The midfield pairing should be Vermeeren and Haidara. They must step up their recent performances to contain a potentially dangerous Dortmund.
Christoph Baumgartner and Xavi Simons will dominate zone 14, hoping to create chances for Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko up top.
(4-2-2-2): Gulacsi; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Haidara, Vermeeren; Baumgartner, Simons; Openda, Sesko.
Borussia Dortmund
Despite his underwhelming season, Gregor Kobel is a mainstay between the sticks for Dortmund.
He will be protected by the centre-back pairing of Nico Schlotterbeck and captain Emre Can, with Ramy Bensebaini and Yan Couto as the full-backs.
In the engine room, Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Gross have been the preferred pairing for Kovac, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Julian Brandt, and Karim Adeyemi providing attacking impetus.
The in-form Serhou Guirassy is expected to lead the line for BVB and will hope to find his scoring boots against Leipzig.
(4-2-3-1): Kobel; Couto, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Bynoe-Gittens, Brandt, Adeyemi; Guirassy.
Ticket Information
If you want to experience the thrill of live Bundesliga football or enjoy Dortmund’s games specifically, then your best bet is to secure tickets through official club websites.
For great deals and a wide selection of seats, check out Borussia Dortmund tickets on Seatsnet.com, which is also the most reliable marketplace for finding tickets to every Bundesliga fixture.
How to Watch the Bundesliga in the UK
Sky Sports host the rights to Bundesliga football in the UK. They show the occasional match on Sky Sports Mix, which is free to air, but the rest is all via a subscription service.
The cost can vary depending on the package, from as little as £15 a month to over £40 a month. As always, Sky Sports has a number of packages currently available.
So, whether you’re just looking to watch live games from the Bundesliga or whether you’re looking for something a little more comprehensive, you’re sure to find something to fit your needs.
