Our next opponents: Borussia Dortmund profile

Position

It really looked like they were about to turn a corner. After just 25 minutes, the Black and Yellows were 4-0 up in the 174th derby against Schalke 04. The team looked relaxed and appeared to have shaken off the frustrations of the past few weeks. However: The match ended 4-4 after a legendary fight back from the Royal Blues – and that felt like a defeat for BVB particularly after losing the previous three matches in the Bundesliga. In spite of winning a point, giving away the lead against the  arch rivals from Gelsenkirchen represented a dramatic high point in Dortmund's decline in recent weeks. The new coach Peter Bosz did get off to a fantastic start: With 19 points from the first seven games of the season BVB were clear leaders at the top of the Bundesliga with a goal difference of 21 for and two against. In the following two months they have only picked up another two points. That means they are now fifth in the table, one point and one place above Bayer 04. Dortmund are already out of the Champions League and are fighting on the last matchday for third place in the group and qualification for the Europa League.

personnel

Despite the loss of Ousmane Dembélé in the summer, BVB still have a team full of international class. Three of the Dortmund stars are well known in Leverkusen: Ömer Toprak, Gonzalo Castro and André Schürrle all played together for the Werkself for two years and are now reunited at Dortmund. The most impressive players behind star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this season are not established internationals like Mario Götze, Marco Reus and Schürrle but rather less familiar players: The 19-year-old Christian Pulisic has often demonstrated his huge potential. New signings Maximilian Philipp, as second-highest scorer (6 goals) after Aubameyang (11), plus Andriy Yarmolenko as the best provider (3 assists) have also shone in the BVB squad. But that is essential for the Dortmund attack as a torn cruciate is likely to prevent Reus playing his first game of the season until the early part of next year. In addition, there was more bad news at the start of the week with an injury to Götze. The 25-year-old, who returned after a long lay-off to score his first goal in 2017 in the derby against Schalke, suffered another setback with a ligament injury that sees him sidelined until after the winter break.

ProblemS

There are divided opinions about Aubameyang in spite of his ability to score goals. The Gabonese striker has rubbed people up the wrong way with his extrovert demeanour and he was even suspended ahead of the 2-1 defeat at Stuttgart after arriving late for a training session. The 28-year-old did score the opener against Schalke but he did his team a disservice in the second half when he picked up a second yellow card. That means Bosz will have to make do without his star striker for the visit to the BayArena. The Dutch coach has more to worry about with his defence rather than his star-studded forward line, which is still the best attack in the Bundesliga (33 goals). After BVB conceded the first goal of the league campaign on matchday six, the defence has become a problem in recent weeks. Bürki, Sokratis & Co. have let in 18 goals in the past six Bundesliga fixtures and, at times, they have made it too easy for their opponents to score goals through individual errors or failing to cover at the back.

PotenTial

Even though RB Leipzig have currently taken over from Dortmund as the main threat to Bayern Munich: BVB are, and remain, a top side both at home and abroad – the eight-time champions of Germany have an atmospheric stadium and massive support, plus an outstanding youth section and the necessary infrastructure and finance. When they play to their ability, Dortmund do not have to fear anyone else. Last term, BVB ended their Champions League group stage ahead of the eventual winners Real Madrid. The Black and Yellows are also always capable of winning domestic honours such as the DFB Cup triumph back in May.

PrEDICTION

BVB have to turn it round on the pitch – as soon as possible. Where they will finish in May 2018 depends, to a large extent, on their approach to the rest of the campaign: If Dortmund rediscover the form of the late summer then they will be capable of achieving their targets. If the poor form of recent weeks continues after the winter break, it will be difficult to finish in a Champions League spot given the strong competition. However, that should still be realistic even in a season of extremes.