Bundesliga: Dortmund Out to Destroy Limping Leipzig

RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have a chance to reach the top of the Bundesliga standings this weekend when they take on RB Leipzig at Red Bull Arena.

On paper, going away to Leipzig would seem like a tough outing for BVB, and the Bundesliga 2022 betting odds for the match are indeed close.

 However, the Red Bulls have been in remarkably poor form to start the season and are in serious danger of being on the receiving end of another damaging result against Dortmund.

Talking Points

 Deja vu for Leipzig

It’s deja vu all over again for RB Leipzig. Just like last season, when they sputtered under head coach Jesse Marsch, the Red Bulls are once again off to a rough start under Domenico Tedesco.

They have won just one of their first five Bundesliga games, with two defeats in their last three. That includes a shock 4-0 hammering against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.

And Leipzig’s awful form carried over to the Champions League. They suffered a disastrous 1-4 defeat at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in their group-stage opener, which has put more pressure on Tedesco.

Tedesco changed his 3-5-2 formation to a 4-2-3-1 after their recent disappointing performances, but that did make much of a difference as they continued to look incredibly shaky at the back. They have now conceded a staggering 18 goals in 8 competitive games this season.

Perhaps more disappointing, though, is that their attack – which looks so impressive on paper – is still not firing on all cylinders. They failed to get a shot on target against Frankfurt, just the third time that has happened in the top flight.

Timo Werner has been unable to deliver too many Bundesliga 2022 highlights since his return to the Red Bulls; the German international has just five total shots in his first four games back in the Bundesliga.

Leipzig also lost key midfielder Dani Olmo to an ankle injury that will keep him out for four to six weeks.

Dortmund showing progress under Terzic

Edin Terzic’s Dortmund return is off to a promising start. He has led BVB to a brilliant start in the Bundesliga with four wins in five, tied with leaders Freiburg on 12 points.

And Terzic’s side also got off to a great start in the Champions League as they crushed FC Copenhagen 3-0 in midweek.

The Dortmund attack that had looked a bit unconvincing in the early going finally delivered the goods. Captain Marco Reus got another goal as he continued his fine early-season form; he now has 3 goals and 2 assists in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Giovanni Reyna came on for the injured Thorgan Hazard and provided two assists. The American teenager has been riddled with injuries in recent years, so his return could be a huge boost for BVB.

But Terzic will perhaps be more pleased by how his defence has performed. Since their disastrous collapse in their 3-2 defeat to Werder Bremen – when they conceded three goals in the last few minutes of the game – Dortmund have kept three straight clean sheets.

The brand new centre-back partnership of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck finally started together for the first time against Copenhagen and will likely keep their places against Leipzig.

History

Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have been among the best teams in the Bundesliga over the last few years, and their encounters have been quite competitive. Dortmund hold a slight 6-4 edge in wins, with two draws in their last 12 matches.

But after Dortmund went on a run of five wins in six against Leipzig, the Red Bulls did the double over Dortmund last season. They won 2-1 at home thanks to goals from Christopher Nkunku and Yussuf Poulsen, then smashed Dortmund 4-1 at Signal Iduna Park. Nkunku again got on the scoresheet, while Konrad Laimer bagged a brace.

Betting Tip  

Despite Leipzig’s recent struggles, SBOTOP odds still have the Red Bulls pegged as slight 2.38 favourites at home. Dortmund are priced at 2.78 to win, while a draw is 3.45.

Based on the form of the two sides, Dortmund represent tremendous value at 2.78 to win. They are clearly the form team at the moment, with their new-look defence showing signs of promise.

On the other side, Leipzig are in shambles and have seemingly lost any semblance of the defensive organisation that they had last season. That makes it difficult to see anything other than a Dortmund win at Red Bull Arena.

 

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