Matches of the Week: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Dortmund - a podcast by noreply@blogger.com (The Hat Trick)

Borussia Dortmund: 

After a disappointing Revierderby (the name of the Schalke-Dortmund rivalry) Dortmund manager Peter Bosz is under a lot of pressure. Most Dortmund fans have been less than thrilled with the boss, and it is very hard to argue against them, as the Dortmund side fell from an easy 4-0 win to a lucky 4-4 draw, all in one half. The side is still seen playing around with formations, and don't truly understand their roles in the club, which is a big red flag considering they are almost halfway through the season now. Nonetheless, Dortmund still see themselves in fifth place with a small distance between the next 3 teams. They will be looking to prove to their fans and the world that they just had a slip-up half and are back on their feet and in winning ways soon.

FORMATION:

The expected formation for this match will be a 3-4-2-1. The three in the back will be reserved for Toprak, Socratis, and Schmelzer, who played together in the draw against Schalke. The wing-backs, who were arguably the best part of Dortmund's performance in the first half, will most likely be American hero Christian Pulisic and Portuguese prospect Raphael Guerreiro. The two central players will continue to be Julian Wiegl and Sahin, who have been playing outstanding for the past month. The attacking midfielder positions will be Yarmolenko and now, because of injury to Mario Goetze, Japanese CAM Shinji Kagawa. As well, in the tie against Schalke, Dortmund striker Aubameyang collected two yellow cards, and will be suspended for this match against Bayer Leverkusen. In his absence, Maximilian Philipp could take his place. However, we could see Bosz put Pulisic in the Striker position and put Polish defender Lukasz Piszczek into the right win-back spot.

Key players for Dortmund will without a doubt be Christian Pulisic, who will need to provide a very high defensive and offensive work rate in order to get Dortmund into the positions needed to secure a win.  As well, if Philipp plays, he has big shoes to fill with Aubameyang not available for selection.

POTENTIAL MAN OF THE MATCH:

Andriy Yarmolenko

Bayer Leverkusen: 

Bayern Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 away, making the Bayer team go on an eight game unbeaten run in Bundesliga competitions. With Kevin Volland still finding the net week after week, Leverkusen are looking like a serious side, and haven't been slowing down anytime soon. While their defense is still a very weak point in their structure, their attack and midfield looks secure and able to hold off oppositions with extreme ease. Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to push to a Champions League spot and Dortmund is a perfect test for the side.


FORMATION:

The expected formation for Bayer Leverkusen will be 3-4-2-1. With Leno as a veteran stopper for the younger side, they don't have to worry about too many slip-ups in front of goal. In front of him, we can expect to see Lars Bender, Jonathan Tah, and Retsos. In front of him, the two central midfielders are Chilean Aranguiz and Kohr. The outside wingers last match were Brandt and Mehmedi, however we believe that winger Bailey will swap with Mehmedi, putting Brandt out left and Bailey on the right. The two attacking players have been outstanding for Bayer, Havertz and Volland, creating and scoring most of the teams chances. To finish the Christmas tree formation, striker Lucas Alario had a below average game last week, making him not a prime option. We expect he will continue to start for Leverkusen, but Mehmedi could see more playing time off the bench if he struggles to thrive early on.

POTENTIAL MAN OF THE MATCH:

Kevin Volland

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