Just like a computer loaded with viruses, Borussia Dortmund ended the first half of the Bundesliga glitchy and filled with errors. Now after being frozen for over month, they are finally able to reboot and start from scratch. Now they face the club where their downward spiral started, the ever-improving Bayer Leverkusen.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Time, TV schedule and game preview
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These two teams met at the beginning of the season, and it took nine seconds for Leverkusen to set Dortmund on a dark domestic path. Now the two clubs will rematch in the prime time slot in the opening weekend of the Rückrunde. With several key players on both teams injured and on international duty, the match may come down to who has the best personnel group out of the tunnel.
Both Leverkusen and Dortmund are very direct, which will make for a very end-to-end contest. As they try to remain relevant in the Bundesliga – Leverkusen fighting for a Champions League spot and Dortmund trying to work their way back up the table – three points for either side could go a long way.
Key Player: Marco Reus
If anyone is going to get Dortmund back on track, it will be Reus. The attacker missed much of the fall with various injuries, and Schwarzgelben sorely missed his finishing ability and his constant penetrating pace. His return will put the mediocre Leverkusen defense under a lot of pressure. He could be the one to find the breakthrough that Dortmund need on the road.
Key Matchup: Karim Bellarabi vs. Marcel Schmelzer
Bellarabi had a terrific fall, which he kicked off in Dortmund after a goal shortly after in the opening whistle of the first match between these two clubs. Bets are on him taking a little longer to get his first scoring chance, and the reason could be Schmelzer. The German international will get the green light from Klopp with Erik Durm on the shelf. The way he corrals the straight-lining Bellarabi could stall Leverkusen's progress going forward.
Bayer Leverkusen Injuries and Suspensions
Out: Tin Jedvaj (fiber tear), Robbie Kruse (Asian Cup), Son Heung Min (Asian Cup)
Borussia Dortmund Injuries and Suspensions
Out: Sven Bender (knee), Jannick Blaszczykowski (illness), Erik Durm (groin), Sebastian Kehl (shoulder), Mitchell Langerak (Asian Cup) In Doubt: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (return from African Cup of Nations), Ilkay Gündoğan (thigh), Shinji Kagawa (return from Asian Cup)
Projected Lineups
Leverkusen: Bernd Leno, Roberto Hilbert, Emir Spahić, Ömer Toprak, Wendell, Lars Bender, Ricardo Castro, Karim Bellarabi, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Josip Drmić, Stefan Kießling
Dortmund: Roman Weidenfeller, Łukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Nuri Şahin, Ilkay Gündoğan, Kevin Kampl, Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ciro Immobile
Match Date/Time: Saturday, January 31, 6:30 PM local, 12:30 PM EST
Television: Gol TV (USA & Canada), BT Sport 1 (UK), Sky Bundesliga 1 (Germany)
Online: Fubo TV (USA), BT Sport (UK), Sky Go (Germany)
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