BERLIN, April 3,  (V7N) –  Borussia Dortmund’s 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign is statistically among their best ever, but their hopes of major honours have been dented by a poor record against top sides.  

Second-placed Dortmund sit nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich with 61 points after 27 games. Only four times have Dortmund had more points at this stage of a season, two of which ended in title triumphs.  

Despite losing just twice in the league — both to Bayern — last season’s Champions League finalists have struggled against the Bundesliga’s top eight, managing only two wins in nine matches. Victories came against Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, though Leverkusen eliminated Dortmund from the German Cup days later.  

A win at Stuttgart on Saturday could help turn the tide. Stuttgart, third in the table and eight points behind Dortmund, are on course for a second top-four finish in three seasons. Under coach Sebastian Hoeness, Stuttgart have dominated Dortmund, winning five and drawing two of their seven meetings since April 2023.  

“I feel we’ll do better against Stuttgart than we’ve done in the past few games,” Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said Thursday. “But this club has developed sensationally. They’re a serious team who have grown well together in recent years.”  

Meanwhile, Bayern travel to Freiburg on Saturday but may rest Harry Kane, who missed England’s friendly against Japan with an ankle injury. With Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Real Madrid looming, coach Thomas Tuchel is expected to be cautious.  

Player to watch: Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)  

Dortmund will need to contain Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav, who has been in red-hot form. The former Brighton forward scored the winner in Germany’s 2-1 victory over Ghana on Monday and was named Bundesliga player of the month for March. In 38 games across all competitions, Undav has 23 goals and 13 assists.  

Hoeness praised his impact: “We’ve moved in the right direction in many areas. And we can’t forget that with Deniz, we’ve got a player who makes the difference.”  

- 0: Bayern are yet to lose away from home this season.  

- 5: Wolfsburg, second-last, have never been relegated since their first promotion in 1997.  

- 18: None of Undav’s 18 league goals have come from penalties, while 10 of Kane’s 31 were spot-kicks.  

Fixtures (1330 GMT unless stated)  

Saturday: Freiburg v Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim v Mainz, Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig, Hamburg v Augsburg, Borussia Moenchengladbach v Heidenheim, Bayer Leverkusen v Wolfsburg, Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund (1630)  

Sunday: Union Berlin v St Pauli, Eintracht Frankfurt v Cologne (1530)  

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