Borussia Dortmund must maintain the pace at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday, when they welcome Elversberg to Signal Iduna Park.

Black and Yellow are second in the table with 18 points and currently trail Bayern Munich due to goal difference, while newly-promoted Elversberg are in seventh place with 13 points.

Match preview

Dortmund deserve credit for coming away from Allianz Arena on October 31 with a point, drawing 2-2 with Bayern in their most difficult league game of the season thanks to Fabio Silva's 89th-minute equaliser.

Boss Niko Kovac should be delighted with the result, but it would be understandable if he was frustrated by the fact his side have now drawn three of their last four Bundesliga outings.

A ninth second-placed finish in 15 seasons would be disappointing, though BVB supporters should still be looking forward positively given their team boast the best defensive record in the division this term having conceded just six goals.

The hosts' defensive resilience was on display against Real Betis in the Champions League on Wednesday, when they won 2-1 thanks to second-half strikes form Silva and Konstantinos Karetsas.

That victory was Dortmund's sixth win at Signal Iduna Park in their last seven fixtures at the stadium, a period in which they avoided defeat.

Elversberg returned to winning ways on October 30, beating Mainz 05 4-1, a game in which they led 3-0 at half time and managed to score a fourth before conceding in the 92nd minute.

The success that the visitors have experienced in the Bundesliga should not be underestimated, especially as 30 points were enough to guarantee survival in the top flight in 2025-26, and the club are on track to accumulate 55 points.

Manager Vincent Wagner may have overseen two wins in his team's past three league clashes, but he will still be concerned that his side have lost lost four and drawn one of their last seven matches in all competitions.

Schwarz und Weiss will hope to avoid suffering a third consecutive loss on the road, with the visitors having won only one of their four away Bundesliga contests.

Elversberg netted eight goals in those four away games, while all four of the goals they have scored on the road in the league came in a 4-3 victory against Borussia Monchengladbach in matchweek one.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Elversberg Bundesliga form:

Elversberg form (all competitions):

Team News

Dortmund's injury list is starting to clear up, with only Emre Can (knee), Justin Lerma (muscle) and Giannis Konstantelias (knee) confirmed to be on the sidelines, while the first two are set to return this month.

Kovac is likely to field a three-man defence consisting of Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck, stationing the trio behind Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha.

Striker Serhou Guirassy is a slight doubt, but even if he is available, it may be better to avoid any risks with his fitness by starting Silva up front.

As for Elversberg, the absence of defenders Jan Gyamerah (hamstring) and Luis Seifert (ankle) could lead to the selection of Luca Sirch, Lukas Pinckert, Maximilian Rohr and Lesse Gunther in the backline.

Centre-forward David Mokwa registered an assist against Mainz, though he will be keen to find the back of the net himself on Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Chukwuemeka; Silva

Elversberg possible starting lineup:

Kristof; Sirch, Pinckert, Rohr, Gunther; Keidel, Poreba; Petkov, Onyeka, Krattenmacher; Mokwa

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Elversberg

Elversberg will almost certainly prove to be challenging opponents given their impressive display last time out.

However, their record away from home is far from perfect, while BVB have been excellent at home, so perhaps Dortmund will be able to keep the pressure on Bayern.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.