Overview
- Leverkusen enter the weekend on a four-game winning run across competitions with a 12–1 goal difference and sit one point ahead of Dortmund in the Bundesliga top four.
- Tuesday’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City underscored the team’s rapid progress under Kasper Hjulmand during a season widely expected to be a rebuild.
- Hjulmand said he will introduce fresh legs for the Dortmund double-header, with the league match at the BayArena on Saturday followed by a German Cup last-16 tie in Dortmund on Tuesday.
- Leverkusen’s squad options expand after the City trip, when Robert Andrich and Edmond Tapsoba were suspended and Jonas Hofmann was unregistered, though injuries rule out Exequiel Palacios, Lucas Vazquez and Ezequiel Fernandez.
- Dortmund arrive buoyed by a 4-0 midweek win over Villarreal but have stumbled against top opponents this season, adding intrigue to a meeting with just a point between the sides.