Borussia Dortmund (20-6-6) at RB Leipzig (17-12-3)
Bundesliga Soccer: Saturday June 20, 2020 at 9:30 am (Red Bull Arena)
The Line: RB Leipzig +130 / Draw +260 / Borussia Dortmund +185 -- O/U: 3 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: FS-2, Sportsnet, Sky Bundesliga, fubo tv, Fox Deportes Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now!
RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund square off in Bundesliga soccer action from Red Bull Arena on Saturday morning.
RB Leipzig enter this match in 3rd place, sitting on 63 points with a record of 17 wins, 12 draws and 3 losses after a 2-2 draw with Fortuna Dusseldorf in their last match. In the draw with Dusseldorf, the first half was quiet, and by quiet I mean there were no goals, no bookings, nada. The second half started slow as well, but Kevin Kampl would push Leipzig ahead on the hour mark and Timo Werner would give Leipzig a 2-0 lead just three minutes later. Leipzig looked destined for a 2-0 win, but Dusseldorf would pull a goal back in the 87th and surprisingly equalize in the second minute of second half stoppage time to salvage a point and stun Leipzig. Werner leads Leipzig in scoring with 26 goals as well as 8 assists this season while Patrik Schick has 10 goals and Marcel Sabitzer has 9 goals with 7 assists. Christopher Nkunku has a team-high 13 assists for Leipzig as well this season. Peter Gulacsi is Leipzig’s #1 goalkeeper, conceding 0.84 goals per 90 minutes with 10 clean sheets in 31 league appearances this season.
Borussia Dortmund on the other hand, come into this game in 2nd on 66 points with a record of 20 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses after a 2-0 loss to Mainz in their last match. Dortmund surprisingly fell behind in the 33rd minute and despite Dortmund’s best efforts, Mainz would double their lead in the 49th minute and Dortmund wouldn’t have an answer the rest of the way. All of this despite Dortmund holding a 66% possession advantage and 15-10 edge in terms of goal attempts. Jadon Sancho leads Dortmund with 17 goals and 16 assists on the year while Erling Haaland and Marco Reus each have 11 goals. Thorgan Hazard also has 7 goals and 13 assists for BVB this season. Roman Burki is Borussia Dortmund’s top goaltender, conceding 1.25 goals per 90 minutes with 12 clean sheets in 29 league appearances this season.
Dortmund and heavy plus money is tempting, but I think the loss to Mainz just says that Dortmund is resigned to their fate. They’re going to get Champions League next year, and they can’t catch Bayern, so just play out the string. Leipzig on the other hand, has been playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder and I expect them to come out firing here to make a run at 2nd place and show that it’s not just a two-horse race in the Bundesliga. That could take a hit going forward with the rumored departure of Timo Werner to Chelsea, but for now, I think Leipzig come out and put forth a statement win and take down Dortmund at home here so I’ll side with Leipzig on the ML.
Chris’s Pick RB Leipzig ML +130
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Follow Chris Ruffolo on Twitter @ruffthepickdawg