Leverkusen in battle for top-four spot as Dortmund look to next season

Bayer Leverkusen will be battling for a top-four spot when they travel to second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, with the hosts already looking to next season ​following what is likely to be a trophyless campaign.

Leverkusen, Bundesliga champions in 2024, ‌are currently in sixth place on 49 points, four points off fourth place which brings a Champions League berth next season.

Dortmund are second on 64 points, nine behind leaders Bayern Munich with only six ​matches remaining. RB Leipzig in third and fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart are both on ​53.

Leverkusen will be hoping a 6-3 comeback win over VfL Wolfsburg last ⁠week -- their first league victory in four matches -- will provide the spark for a ​strong season run-in that includes their German Cup semi-final against Bayern on April 22.

"This important ​win can give us a push for the remaining matches," said Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand, who took over from Erik ten Hag after just two matches into the league campaign.

The Dane knows he has ​to deliver to have any chance of staying on in the job, and his team ​have their work cut out with games against fellow Champions League hopefuls Leipzig and Stuttgart to come ‌in ⁠May.

The situation in Dortmund is far less urgent with the club having all but secured second spot following a strong domestic campaign under Niko Kovac.

However, with Bayern nine points clear in the league they are likely to end the season without silverware.

"It is not what ​we want because with ​a club like ⁠Dortmund your standards have to be always high, and you try to play every single game to win and to win titles," ​said Dortmund's Fabio Silva.

"We are not fully happy because we cannot ​realistically fight for ⁠a title for now, but of course we can improve a lot of things, and we can win a lot more than titles to keep building this team and this club."

Leaders ⁠Bayern, ​buoyed by Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Real Madrid in ​their Champions League quarter-final first leg, travel to relegation-threatened St Pauli.

The Bavarians are a goal away from equalling the ​all-time Bundesliga record of 101 in a season.