The German Bundesliga reaches its 15th round of action at the weekend and it will include a big matchup between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. The league’s best defense will be tested by one of Bundesliga’s biggest goal-threats as Erling Haaland is set to make his second appearance following a month-long absence with a muscle problem.
Despite Leipzig’s strong defensive record – only nine goals conceded in 14 games – bookmaker 10Bet expects this game to be a high-scoring affair with over 2.5 goals available at 1.74.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 6th, 6:00 P.M. (EST)
Leipzig conceded in both of their first two league games of the season, but they have since then recorded seven clean sheets in 12 games. Julian Nagelsmann’s team hasn’t conceded a single goal in four games since playing out a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich on Dec. 5.
The Red Bulls are looking rock-solid at the back for a third consecutive season, having conceded only 75 goals in 82 games since the start of 2017/2018. They are allowing a league-low 8.1 shots per game and Stuttgart managed only one effort on target against Leipzig last weekend when Dani Olmo’s 67th-minute strike secured Nagelsmann’s team a 1-0 win.
Dortmund started 2021 with a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg. Haaland played 81 minutes in his first game back from injury, but he finished goalless for the fourth time this season. The Norwegian phenomenon has 10 goals in nine league appearances ahead of the visit to Red Bull Arena.
BVB struggled without him throughout December, winning only once in four Bundesliga outings, and it ended up costing manager Lucien Favre his job. Edin Terzic has taken over a team that lost seven times during the whole of last season but has already suffered five defeats in 2020-21. Sitting fourth in the table, eight points adrift of leaders Bayern, Dortmund faces an uphill battle to try and enter the title race.
Winning at Leipzig would provide a huge boost for Dortmund, who have a good record in recent head to head clashes, going five games without a loss and winning three of the matches. The run includes a 2-0 victory in the most recent meeting in June when Haaland bagged a brace. The result marks Leipzig’s only loss in the past 21 home outings in the league.