Situation: Third in opposition to fourth. Just one level separates the 2 groups. Leverkusen are in a Champions League spot for the primary time this season and are additionally forward of the Black & Yellows for the primary time.
House & away: Leverkusen have celebrated three consecutive residence wins, preserving a clear sheet in every sport (2-0 in opposition to Union, 2-0 in opposition to Freiburg, 6-0 in opposition to Heidenheim). Regardless of conceding late targets in Hamburg in opposition to FC St. Pauli (last rating 3-3) and most lately in opposition to HSV (1-1), Dortmund are the third-best away crew of the season after Hoffenheim (14) and Munich (13), with 11 factors from six away video games.
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Head-to-head: Borussia Dortmund alone took 4 factors (one win, one draw) from the BayArena in Leverkusen’s championship-winning and subsequent runner-up season. The Werkself haven’t received in opposition to the Black & Yellows in 4 residence video games, choosing up only one level from these 4 matches. Within the Bundesliga, Bayer have solely suffered extra defeats (52) and conceded extra targets (174) in opposition to Bayern than in opposition to BVB (37 and 153 respectively). Of their Bundesliga historical past, Borussia have received extra video games after falling behind 1-0 away to Bayer Leverkusen than they’ve at some other membership (5 instances, most lately final season) and have picked up factors a complete of 11 instances after Leverkusen have opened the scoring.
Statistics: BVB have misplaced solely considered one of their final 19 Bundesliga video games (13 wins, 5 attracts).Within the final two video games, nonetheless, the Black & Yellows needed to accept a draw after conceding targets in harm time – that is the primary time they’ve gone three straight league video games and not using a win since Niko Kovac took cost. Since Kasper Hjulmand took over the Werkself earlier than Matchday 3, solely Bayern Munich have picked up extra factors, celebrated extra wins and scored extra targets than Bayer Leverkusen. No different coach in Bayer’s lengthy historical past has received a better proportion of his Bundesliga video games in cost as Hjulmand (seven out of 9, or 78%).
Info: Bayer Leverkusen have received a formidable 54% of tackles on the pitch this season, making them the strongest crew within the Bundesliga by way of tackling. In Loic Bade, the Werkself even have the perfect particular person participant by way of tackling success: the 25-year-old Frenchman received simply over 71% of his challenges.
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Final season: An excellent Gregor Kobel in aim, a little bit of luck with a shot that hit the crossbar and effectivity in entrance of aim gave Borussia Dortmund a flattering half-time lead: After Jeremy Frimpong made it 1-0 for Bayer within the thirty first minute, Julian Brandt (33) and Julian Ryerson (45) put BVB 2-1 forward, regardless of Leverkusen having 15 pictures on aim to BVB’s 4 within the first half. After the break, BVB managed to make the sport extra balanced and struck once more with medical precision: Karim Adeyemi (73) and Serhou Guirassy (76) took benefit of possibilities three and 4 to make it 3-1 and 4-1. Jonas Hofmann pulled one again late on for Leverkusen to make it 4-2.
Greatest away win: Solely three of the 13 Bundesliga away wins in Leverkusen have been by a couple of aim. The three-1 win on Matchday 18 of the 2010/2011 season – a milestone on the way in which to the title – was adopted by a 4-2 win on the BayArena on 29 September 2018. After trailing 2-0 at half-time, Jacob Bruun Larsen (65), Marco Reus (6’) and Paco Alcácer (85’/90’) turned the sport round with targets within the second half.
Compiled by Boris Rupert