Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to secure their 10th successive victory in all competitions and move to the top of the Bundesliga table when they host RB Leipzig on Friday evening.

Leipzig, meanwhile, could move one point behind their opponents and Bayern Munich at the summit should they be able to win at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund continued their perfect form since returning from the World Cup with a 1-0 win away to struggling Hoffenheim last weekend, with Julian Brandt’s 43rd-minute strike enough to keep them level on points with Bayern at the top of the table.

BVB dominated the meeting at Rhein-Neckar Arena, forcing opposition goalkeeper Oliver Baumann into 10 saves across the course of the 90 minutes, although the hosts had moments themselves in an entertaining encounter.

Edin Terzic’s side are heading into their most important week of the season so far, with Friday’s home match against Leipzig providing an opportunity to potentially knock one title contender out of the mix, as victory would move them seven points clear of their former manager Marco Rose’s side.

The Bundesliga title race continues to be one of the most riveting watches across the continent with the top four separated by a meagre four points – the smallest gap at this stage of a season during the three-points-for-a-win era.

It was a 1-0 win for Borussia Dortmund against Hoffenheim last time out that maintained their perfect competitive record in 2023 (W9), and while Edin Terzić’s men sit behind league leaders Bayern on goal difference alone, they will now look to go top as they face fourth-placed challengers RB Leipzig.

Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt said that they’re “riding the crest of a wave” following their latest win, and what a wave it is!

To summarise just how good they’ve been in 2023 so far, Dortmund currently have the highest points per game average (3.0), goals per match (2.86), goal attempts (17.86) and shots on target (7.71) of any side across Europe’s top-five leagues!

Inspiring further Red Bull confidence will be their current three-game winning run of league H2Hs, their longest such streak in this fixture’s history.

If they’re to beat Dortmund again, and add another twist to this enthralling title race, scoring first could be their best way to do so as the team that has scored first in Leipzig’s away league games this season – barring a couple of goalless draws – has avoided defeat (W4, D1 when scoring first).

Players to watch: Dortmund veteran Marco Reus has looked more like the force of old in recent weeks, scoring twice and assisting another two across his last four appearances despite not playing a full 90′.

Leipzig have been buoyed by the return of talisman Christopher Nkunku following his approximate three-month injury layoff – he should be excited to feature against Dortmund after making six goal contributions in as many personal H2Hs (G2, A4).

Hot stat: Dortmund went on to win the league the last time they began a calendar year with seven straight league wins (2012).

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

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Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

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RB Leipzig Bundesliga form:

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RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

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Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Ozcan, Can, Bellingham; Brandt, Haller, Reus

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:

Blaswich; Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Halstenberg; Kampl, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Werner; Nkunku

Friday’s trip to Dortmund represents more of a must-not-lose fixture than a must-win one for Leipzig, who can not afford to slip seven points behind their title rivals at this latter stage of the season.

With Nkunku likely to return to their starting XI, there is every chance that Rose can inflict revenge on his former club, but given the amount at stake, we can envisage a relatively cagey encounter and a share of the spoils as the most likely outcome.