The past 11 meetings between the two clubs have produced a total of 57 goals (35-22 in BVB's favour), which equates to an average of over five goals per game! We have condensed everything you need to know about the match at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Saturday (18:30 CET) into the usual compact format.

The scenario: The opening game will see BVB take on a Bayer Leverkusen side that finished third last season and last lost a Bundesliga away game in February (3-2 in Mainz), though they did recently lose 4-3 away to third-tier Elversberg in the DFB-Pokal.

Home/away: BVB had the second-best home record last season with 13 wins and four defeats, while Leverkusen were the second-best performing team on the road, winning nine, drawing five and losing three away games.

Head-to-head record: Heading into the 2021/22 season, Borussia Dortmund were on a run of six straight home wins over Bayer with at least three goals scored in each victory (3-0, 6-2, 4-0, 3-2, 4-0 and 3-1). But Leverkusen won 5-2 last season, their biggest away triumph in this fixture. That said, the Werkself have only suffered more defeats (51) and conceded more goals (166) to Bayern Munich than they have to BVB (34 losses and 142 goals conceded). Borussia have never lost a home game against Leverkusen after taking the lead.

Biggest home win: On 4 March 2017, BVB ran out 6-2 winners thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembélé (6), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (26, 70), Christian Pulisic (77), André Schürrle (pen., 85) and Raphael Guerreiro (90+2). Kevin Volland and Wendell scored the goals for Bayer. There was more recently a four-goal margin of victory on 14 September 2019, when the Black & Yellows claimed a 4-0 win courtesy of strikes by Marco Reus (50, 90), Paco Alcácer (28) and Raphael Guerreiro (83).
Compiled by Boris Rupert