After the winter break, Borussia Dortmund is under pressure. Home games on Friday are under a good star for BVB – but with double winner Bayer Leverkusen there is a big challenge coming.

The pressure is great, the team has a duty: Borussia Dortmund has to deliver immediately at the start of an eventful year. The start could hardly be more difficult. In the first game after the short winter break, BVB welcomes double winners Bayer Leverkusen.

Coach Nuri Sahin – under whom Dortmund have not yet been able to win two league games in a row – does not see the Bundesliga clash against Florian Wirtz and Co. as a danger, but as an opportunity – at least publicly. “I’m happy that it’s against Leverkusen, it’s a top game and a benchmark,” said the 36-year-old. Sahin’s hope: A win should bring self-confidence and BVB into a “flow”.

BVB often shines on Fridays

But the young coach also knows about the risk: BVB cannot afford a false start. The Revierklub wasted too many games in the first half of the season. 25 points and sixth place after 15 games are clearly not enough for their own expectations. A defeat would be a serious setback in the race for the minimum goal of Champions League qualification and could immediately create a mood of crisis again.

One statistic speaks especially for BVB. The Black and Yellows have not lost a Friday home game in the Bundesliga for 20 years. The last league defeat on a Friday was on January 30, 2004 – a 0-1 in the derby against FC Schalke 04, in which Ebbe Sand scored the decisive goal. The home fans in Dortmund were then able to celebrate 30 wins, plus nine draws.

Dortmund is strong at home – but the consistency is missing

But other numbers should also encourage Dortmund. BVB hasn’t lost its first game after a winter break for 20 years, and the stadium in Dortmund has been an impregnable fortress in the league: the team has recorded six wins and two draws in the current season.

The annoying issue, however, remains the ambivalence of a team that is capable of great things at any time, but can also lose at any time against much smaller opponents. “We finally want to bring consistency to the pitch,” demands Sahin.

January will be a turning point for BVB. Against Leverkusen and a week later at Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia plays against direct competitors in the fight for the premier class places. In the Champions League it will be decided in Bologna and against Donetsk whether Dortmund will move straight into the round of 16 or have to go into the playoffs.

Winter break was inconvenient for Leverkusen

With opponents Bayer Leverkusen, however, everything quickly goes according to plan – and the mini-winter break was actually inconvenient for the double winner. Because in the final stages of 2024, Bayer had shifted up two gears again. Eight competitive game victories in a row, including the 1-0 win in the cup against Bayern, fully reveal the masterful self-confidence.

“This anticipation of winning every game, always playing to win. This is what distinguished us last year and will distinguish us this year,” announced sports director Simon Rolfes. Bayer is also the only team in the league that has not yet lost an away game.

Alonso with great respect for Dortmund

Alonso and his team will resume the hunt for league leaders Bayern Munich, but at the same time warns against BVB. “We see the development of Dortmund, they are very, very strong at home,” he said. “We expect a top game, we need our best game and a good mentality. We need a perfect performance quickly.”

Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick have been playing at their best recently. Rolfes categorically ruled out Schick’s departure in the current transfer window on Thursday: “One thing is very clear: Patrik is staying here.” However, there are concerns because Granit

Victor Boniface, Amine Adli and Jeanuel Belocian will definitely be missing. Jonas Hofmann, on the other hand, is ready for action again.

Stegemann doesn’t whistle

With a win, Dortmund would at least temporarily climb to third place. Leverkusen would consolidate second place with three points and move within one point of league leaders Munich, at least until Saturday.

Incidentally, a potentially quite explosive personality was omitted on Thursday. Referee Sascha Stegemann was supposed to officiate a BVB game for the first time in almost two years, but he is down with the flu. Tobias Stieler takes over.

The appointment had already caused a stir before the party. Stegemann denied BVB a legitimate penalty in the game at VfL Bochum at the end of April 2023. With the 1-1 draw, BVB lost two last points in the duel with FC Bayern, who then won the German championship on the day of the match. Stegemann, who had already apologized for his mistake the following day, received death threats and was under police protection for four weeks.

Our sources:
WDR sports editorial team
Borussia Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen
News agencies dpa and sid