Borussia Dortmund vs Leverkusen Odds
Leverkusen’s First Bundesliga Match as Champions
Dortmund Fighting For Champions League Place
Bayer Leverkusen have had their best week in club history. Last weekend, by defeating Werder Bremen 5-0, Leverkusen won the Meisterschale for the first time ever. The Bundesliga champions then drew at West Ham on Thursday to extend their unbeaten run to 44 games and advance to the Europa League Semifinal. Now, Leverkusen head to Dortmund to take on a Borussia Dortmund side that have also had a solid week. Dortmund defeated Atletico Madrid on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League Semifinal for the first time in 11 years. As BVB chase UCL qualification through the Bundesliga, we’ll preview the Dortmund vs Leverkusen odds.
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen
Date, time:
Location: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Head-to-Head
Borussia Dortmund have had Bayer Leverkusen’s number for quite some time. Dortmund have lost just three of their last ten Bundesliga matches vs. Leverkusen. Most recently, these sides met in December at the BayArena. Julian Ryerson put Dortmund ahead five minutes in but Victor Boniface equalized for the hosts late in the second half. The pregame Dortmund vs Leverkusen odds listed a draw at +320. Last season, Borussia Dortmund completed a double over Leverkusen but Bayer did defeat Dortmund 5-2 at Signal Iduna Park in 2022.
Dortmund Through to First UCL Semifinal Since 2013
Borussia Dortmund trailed Atletico Madrid 2-1 heading into Tuesday’s Champions League Quarter-Final second leg. Dortmund responded excellently in the first half as Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen scored in quick succession. However, Atletico pulled things back to 2-2 by the 64th minute, as Mats Hummels scored an own goal and Angel Correa found the net. Once again, Dortmund responded, as Niclas Fullkrug equalized the aggregate score on an impressive header.
Then, Marcel Sabitzer scored a left footed shot to send Dortmund through to their first Semifinal since 2013. While Edin Terzic has coached this bunch to a successful UCL campaign, they’re only in fifth place in the Bundesliga standings. It looks like five German teams will qualify for next season’s Champions League based on the format change but Dortmund will still be aiming for the top four.
Right now, though, the Bundesliga odds price Borussia Dortmund as +150 underdogs to make the top four. Last time out in the Bundesliga, Sabitzer scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach. Karim Adeyemi picked up two yellow cards in that match and will miss this one due to suspension. Donyell Malen, Sebastien Haller and Ramy Bensebaini are all out with injuries as well. Notably, Dortmund are just 1-1-4 vs. the Bundesliga’s current top four teams this season.
Bayer Leverkusen Break Unbeaten Record
Bayer Leverkusen defied all of the preseason Bundesliga predictions and have clinched the Bundesliga five games early. Xabi Alonso has done an incredible job as Leverkusen coach and the players deserve just as much credit. Last weekend, Florian Wirtz scored a second half hat trick as Leverkusen clinched the Bundesliga title in front of their home fans. Coming off the championship hangover, Leverkusen still managed to come back to get a draw at West Ham on Thursday.
Because Leverkusen won the first leg of the UEL Quarter-Final, they’ll take on Roma in the Semifinal in a couple weeks’ time. With the draw, Bayer Leverkusen now have the longest unbeaten streak ever for any team in Europe’s top five leagues. Bayer Leverkusen have come back from losing positions plenty of times this season and they have a top tier mentality. Wirtz may even be a Ballon d’Or candidate at this point.
The attacking midfielder has scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in the Bundesliga. It’ll be interesting to see how Leverkusen line up on Sunday, as they have no particular impetus to win this game other than to continue their record unbeaten streak. Amine Adli is out suspended for this match, while backup forwards Borja Iglesias and Adam Hlozek are out injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
Given their unbeaten run, it may seem shocking that Bayer Leverkusen are underdogs here. The Dortmund vs Leverkusen odds price the hosts +135 and Leverkusen at +175. This is a Dortmund side that is hungry to get back in fourth place and still has all to play for in the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga champions Leverkusen were a tad bit fortunate to remain unbeaten on Thursday at West Ham and their mentality will have to be excellent to avoid defeat here. With the title, and the top five leagues’ longest-ever unbeaten run, secured, Leverkusen’s motivation may dip a bit. They can now shift their attention towards winning the Europa League and the DFB-Pokal for a historic treble.
Here, a draw is priced at +285 and it would extend Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak but hurt Dortmund considerably. Xabi Alonso may also have to rotate some players, as there are only two days of rest in between the West Ham match and this one. Even though both teams have scored quite a bit lately, under 3, 3.5 goals show -125 odds on Sunday.
