Borussia Dortmund recently earned a valuable 3-2 away win against Hannover, which saw Jurgen Klopp’s side end the night in the top-10 of the German Bundesliga. It has been six months since Dortmund were so high in the table, with last season’s runners-up enduring a woeful season that saw them bottom of the table earlier in the campaign. With Dortmund having finished runners-up in the Champions League in 2013, and also second in the German Bundesliga last season, their fall from grace had shocked many to say the least.
However, their upturn in form sees them looking up in the league, and they will have their sights set firmly on a top-four finish to guarantee Champions League football for next season. Borussia were knocked out of the competition at the hands of Italian giants Juventus in the Round of 16, but with their stadium selling out on a regular basis, they will look to rebuild in the summer to fix what has been an alarming situation on the domestic front.
Dortmund currently sit 10th in the league after 26 games, meaning the German outfit will have only eight more games to climb as much as possible in the standings. Their form of late has been very impressive, winning five and drawing two of their last seven league matches. Such form has shot them up the table, boasting a 2.43 points per game average, but they’ll need a near perfect finish to the season to threaten the third and fourth placed sides, and to consequently earn a Champions League place.
Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach, are the two sides occupying 3rd and 4th in the table respectively, with just a single point separating the duo. Klopp’s side still have Monchengladbach to play before the end of the season – the first fixture ending in favor of Dortmund back in November – so their meeting against Die Fohlen could prove to be a very important moment in the season.
Many supporters will have ruled out the possibility of Champions League football for 2015/16, but Dortmund have a great opportunity if they can go on an extended winning run in the league. There’s no doubting they have the quality in the side to achieve it, let alone a significant improvement in form at the perfect time too.
Dortmund won’t get there based on their form alone because they will need Leverkusen and Monchengladbach to lose matches and drop as many points as possible. With a squad containing Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Marco Reus as key players, among many other talented individuals, Die Schwarzgelben have the quality to make a miraculous comeback in what has been a disappointing league campaign so far.
So can Borussia Dortmund secure Champions League football against all odds?
