Borussia Dortmund will kick off their first home game of 2017 at 18:30 CET on Saturday, when they will be hoping to extend their club record and remain unbeaten for the 30th consecutive match at Signal Iduna Park. Here are the facts on the match against Rasenballsport Leipzig.

The scenario: It is fourth versus second. A win for Borussia Dortmund would see them reduce the gap to Rasenballsport Leipzig to eight points. They currently trail third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt by a solitary point.

Earlier this season: Substitute Burke set up fellow sub Keita for the only goal of the game in the 89th minute to secure a 1-0 win for Leipzig. Shortly beforehand Schürrle had hit the crossbar.

Home/away: Borussia Dortmund have not lost at Signal Iduna Park in the last 22 months (29 matches). The last home defeat came on 4 April 2015 – a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich. Only Bayern have won more games away this season (seven) than Rasenballsport (five). However, Leipzig have lost their last two on the road and have failed to score in those matches (1-0 in Ingolstadt, 3-0 in Munich).

Personnel matters: Thomas Tuchel will provide an update at 14:00 CET on Friday. According to kicker, the men from Saxony are without Werner (flu), Klostermann (torn cruciate ligament), Forsberg (suspended) and Gipson (fitness).

Record: BVB have won at least once against 51 of the 52 opponents they have faced in the top flight. The return fixture against Leipzig will give the Westphalians a chance to tick off no. 52 as well. Marco Reus has scored at least one goal against 16 of the 18 clubs currently in the Bundesliga; he is only missing goals against Leipzig and Darmstadt. That could soon change in the space of eight days.

History: Only in the 1993/94 season has a club from Leipzig played in the Bundesliga. On 7 September 1993, VfB recorded a 1-0 victory in the Westfalenstadion thanks to a goal from Jürgen Rische in the ninth minute. Borussia tried in vain for 90 minutes to turn the game around, recording 41 shots to their opponent's four! BVB won the return fixture in Leipzig 3-2, thanks to a goal from Chapuisat and a brace from Sippel.

image

Statistics: Borussia Dortmund are now unbeaten in six but have had to settle for a draw in four of their last five matches. They now have 31 points on the board – ten fewer than at this stage last season. BVB have only failed to score on one of their last 12 outings but have not kept a clean sheet in their last seven fixtures. Leipzig have won three of their last four games and have only conceded more than two goals in one game this season (away to Bayern).

Attendance: Signal Iduna Park is completely sold out with 81.360 fans expected.

Referee: The DFB will make the announcement on Thursday afternoon.

Suspension looming: Two players on each side are one yellow card away from suspension: Dortmund duo Sokratis and Dembélé and Leipzig pair Compper and Orban have both been cautioned on four occasions this season.
Compiled by Boris Rupert