Berlin (AFP) - On Saturday, all eyes are on the fiery summit between fifth-placed Leipzig, which is seeking to revive its hopes of securing one of the qualifying tickets for the Champions League competition next season, and its guest, Borussia Dortmund, who is shining in second place, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, in the twenty-third round of the German Football League.

Published on: 02/20/2026 - 11:25

Dortmund's Croatian coach, Robert Kovac, is facing an injury crisis in defense, and with Leipzig having a clear advantage in its recent matches against the visitors, the team and its coach, Uli Werner, feel some cautious optimism.

Despite the team's absence from European competitions this season, Leipzig did not benefit from its reduced match schedule, as it occupies fifth place in the league standings, one point behind Bayer Leverkusen, sixth, which has a game in hand.

After a strong start of eight victories and only one defeat in ten matches, Leipzig's performance declined, as it has not achieved two consecutive wins in the league since the beginning of November, and has only won three of the last ten matches in various competitions.

Absence again from the most prominent European competitions, and the profits they generate, would be a blow to a club supported by Red Bull and featuring one of the best formations in German football.

On the other hand, Dortmund enters the match in high spirits, as it has suffered only one defeat in the league this season, and has raised its level at the beginning of 2026.

The 2024 Champions League runner-up enters the match with a series of six consecutive victories in the “Bundesliga”, and has reduced the gap with leaders Bayern Munich to six points, after the latter was 11 points ahead during the Christmas period.

However, things do not seem completely ideal, as Kovac confirmed on Thursday that Niko Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule, Emre Djan and Italian Filippo Mane will not return to participation on Saturday due to injury.

The coach said, "We do not underestimate Leipzig, despite their recent results. They play one match a week, and they can prepare well and are fully prepared."

Indeed, the numbers indicate that the most brilliant team in the league cannot take things for granted when they visit the Red Bull Arena, as Leipzig won their last five matches at home against Dortmund by a total of 13-2 in terms of the number of goals.

Since the Norwegian strikers Erling Haaland and the Englishman Jaydon Sancho led Dortmund to victory over Leipzig in the 2021 German Cup final, the Yellow Club has achieved only two victories in ten matches against the “Red Bulls” in various competitions.

Leipzig coach Werner promised Thursday that his team would deliver an enjoyable performance, saying, "We are not known for playing cautiously, and we will not do that against Dortmund either. We have to be at our best all the time."

Leader Bayern Munich's task will not be easy either when it hosts Eintracht Frankfurt VII as it seeks to continue its awakening and achieve a third win in a row.

The Bavarian club returned to winning ways with two major victories over Hoffenheim (4-2) and Werder Bremen (3-0) after losing to Augsburg 1-2 and drawing with Hamburg 2-2, thanks to the brilliance of its English international striker Harry Kane, who scored two braces in the last two matches, raising his tally to 26 goals at the top of the scorers list and 41 in various competitions, including 13 from kicks. Penalty, and 500 goals in his professional career.

Bayern has the opportunity to expand the gap to nine points over Dortmund, as they play three hours before them, but Frankfurt will not be an easy prey, especially after they regained the winning tone with a landslide victory over their guest, Borussia Mönchengladbach, 3-0 in the final stage, their first since defeating Augsburg (1-0) on December 13, after which they fell into the trap of draws four times and suffered three defeats.

Bayer Leverkusen can surpass Leipzig when they visit Union Berlin X on Saturday, as they play three hours before them.

. Player under the microscope: Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

After putting the final touches on his new four-year contract, Bayern Munich's French international defender Dayo Upamecano is now fully focused on his team's ambitions on the field.

With the team topping the league, qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and reaching the semi-finals of the German Cup, the French defender believes that his club is capable of winning the treble.

“This is what we want,” he told the German League website on Thursday. “We take each match individually. Our focus now is on facing Frankfurt, as this is important.”

. Basic numbers

© 2026 AFP

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