Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga Matchday 21 Odds & Pick
- In-form Dortmund look to continue three-game winning streak
- Leverkusen must bounce back after defeat by Hoffenheim
- Braut Haaland hoping to continue his prolific start in Germany
Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to continue their impressive start to 2020 when they travel to meet Bayer Leverkusen in Germany’s Bundesliga on Saturday.
Third-placed Dortmund have re-kindled their title challenge with three straight league wins since the competition resumed after its winter break.
Leverkusen are placed fifth. But after two victories following the New Year return to action, they will be looking to recover from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat by seventh-placed Hoffenheim.
The analysts made Dortmund favorites to collect three points at +126, with Leverkusen priced at +175. The draw is +280 on February 8, at BayArena, Leverkusen, 12:30 pm EST.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | pk, +½ -110 | +175 | Ov3, 3½, -121 |
| Borussia Dortmund | pk, -½ -110 | +126 | Un3,3 pk, +½ +101 |
| Draw | N/A | +280 | N/A |
Odds taken Feb. 6
Seven Goals in Three Games for $30 million Signing
The major focus of attention will be Dortmund’s new striker Erling Braut Haaland who has made a stunning impact since he was signed from Red Bull Salzburg of Austria for $30 million in December.
He has hit seven goals in three Bundesliga appearances since including a hat-trick on his debut as a substitute against Augsburg on January 18.
It points towards a Dortmund victory as the best value on the card. However, the draw is inviting at +280, too.
Leverkusen have only the ninth-best home record in the 18-team competition after four wins, four draws and two defeats at their BayArena home.
Five-and-a-half years after swapping Bayer Leverkusen for Liverpool, Emre Can returns to the Bundesliga.
The midfielder joins Dortmund on loan with an obligation to buy for £26 million.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 31, 2020
Dortmund’s away form favors them as they have the Bundesliga’s fifth-best record on the road with four wins, three draws and three defeats.
Dortmund have far more fire-power than Leverkusen, whose leading scorer Kevin Volland has only seven Bundesliga goals.
They are also in rampant goal-getting form after scoring 15 times in the three Bundesliga matches since the resumption.
Dortmund have far more fire-power than Leverkusen, whose leading scorer Kevin Volland has only seven Bundesliga goals.
Along with Braut Haaland, Dortmund have English international wide man Jadon Sancho who has scored 12 times in the league and German international Marco Reus who has found the target 11 times in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen vs Dortmund Statistics
| 10 | Wins | 11 |
| 6 | Losses | 3 |
| 4 | Draws | 6 |
| 31 | Goals | 56 |
| 24 | Goals Against | 28 |
| 28 | Yellow Cards | 16 |
| 6 | Red Cards | 1 |
Dortmund have risen one place since January and are only three points behind leaders Bayern Munich – while being two behind second-placed Red Bull Leipzig.
Chasing Leading Pack
Leverkusen are attempting to catch the top four and with 34 points, are five behind fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach and the same amount behind Dortmund.
Haaland has re-lit Dortmund’s hopes of ending Bayern’s seven-season streak as champions.
His debut hat-trick contributed to a 5-3 win at Augsburg.
The goals continued to fly in for Dortmund as Haaland hit two more in a 5-1 defeat of FC Koln. Then came another double in a 5-0 victory against Union Berlin.
However, Dortmund’s run of fine form was interrupted by a surprise 3-2 defeat by Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal Cup in midweek.
Leverkusen’s leading man Volland scored twice in a 4-1 defeat of SC Paderborn in the first match after the break.
Dortmund hammered Leverkusen 4-0 in their first meeting of the season in September with Marco Reus scoring twice.
Then came a 3-0 defeat of Fortuna Dusseldorf before last weekend’s setback at Hoffenheim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm66eHQobfE
They had better luck in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal in which they defeated Vfb Stuttgart 2-1 on Wednesday.
Dortmund hammered Leverkusen 4-0 in their first meeting of the season in September with Marco Reus scoring twice.
But Leverkusen showed their capabilities with a 2-1 victory away at Bayern Munich in November.
During yesterday’s match, Marco Reus sustained a muscle injury that looks to keep him sidelined for up to four weeks.
Get well soon, Captain 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3TyZ4qgpkZ
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 5, 2020
Dortmund have won this fixture five times and drawn once since Leverkusen’s last win in October 2016.
Despite their lack of striking power Leverkusen possesses one of the most sought after young talents in Europe in 20-year-old midfielder Kai Havertz.
He is on the radar of Liverpool and Bayern Munich and could fetch a fee as high as $150 million in the summer.
Pick: Borussia Dortmund +126
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
