Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund face strong task against RB Leipzig

Borussia Dortmund face a test of their title credentials against RB Leipzig, while FC Bayern München star Sadio Mane should step up his comeback from injury on Matchday 23 of the Bundesliga this weekend.

Dortmund are second to league leaders Bayern on goal difference after winning all nine matches they have played in all competitions in 2023. Julian Brandt got the only goal in their last outing at TSG Hoffenheim, but BVB will have be on top form on Friday night to extend their Bundesliga winning streak to eight games.

That’s because – a few days out from their UEFA Champions League last 16-second leg against Chelsea – Edin Terzic’s men face a team that is fourth in the table and only four points behind them.

While Dortmund have been inspired by England midfielder Jude Bellingham this year, Leipzig have won both their league matches since 2021/22 Bundesliga Player of the Season Christopher Nkunku returned from injury. The French star was again used from the bench in their most recent league game, when goals from Emil Forsberg and Timo Werner earned Leipzig a 2-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Defending champions Bayern, meanwhile, were boosted by Mane’s presence last week. The Senegalese attacker made his long-awaited return as a substitute, coming on for the final 25 minutes of his team’s top-of-the-table clash against 1. FC Union Berlin.

Bayern won that game 3-0 in Munich, with rising star Jamal Musiala marking his 20th birthday by scoring his 11th league goal of the campaign. On Saturday evening, Julian Nagelsmann’s side will be on the road at VfB Stuttgart, a team sitting just above the relegation zone on goal difference after a defeat at bottom club FC Schalke 04.

Two other potential title contenders – Union and SC Freiburg – are in action on Saturday afternoon. Third-placed Union – who are still only three points off top spot – will host 1. FC Köln in the capital.

Fifth-placed Freiburg – who lie five points behind Bayern and Dortmund – are also up against midtable opposition. Borussia Mönchengladbach will be determined to put in a good performance at home in that game, especially since they followed a rousing 3-2 victory over Bayern with a 4-0 hammering at 1. FSV Mainz 05.

With 12 games to go until the end of the season, Schalke have given themselves real hope of avoiding relegation after they built on four successive 0-0 draws by beating Stuttgart

2-1. On Saturday, the Royal Blues have another crucial game – a six-pointer away to second-bottom VfL Bochum 1848. A game where local Ruhr bragging rights add further spice to the mix, ahead of the big Revierderby next week.

Third-bottom Hoffenheim could also do with a first win under Pellegrino Matarazzo as they go to eighth-placed Mainz, but the home team will be confident after scoring 10

goals across three successive victories. Elsewhere on Saturday, FC Augsburg welcome SV Werder Bremen to Bavaria – along with 14-goal Bundesliga top goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug.

The top-flight action concludes on Sunday, when Xabi Alonso’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen play fifth-bottom Hertha Berlin. The visitors have won two of their last three, including a vital 2-0 home success against Augsburg last time out.

At the other end of the table, meanwhile, it will be seventh against sixth when VfL Wolfsburg meet Eintracht Frankfurt looking to close the five-point gap to the European berths.

There are also some big matches in Bundesliga 2 this weekend. An exciting encounter is in store on Friday when SC Paderborn 07 in fourth meet a seventh-placed FC St. Pauli side that have reeled off five consecutive wins in 2023.

On Saturday afternoon second-placed Hamburger SV play midtable 1. FC Nürnberg before the highlight of the fixture list later that evening. League leaders SV Darmstadt 98 travel south to face one of their promotion rivals – 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 are only six points behind them in third.