'Top player' Grimaldo taking up leadership role at Leverkusen

Kasper Hjulmand believes Alejandro Grimaldo is thriving in a leadership role at Bayer Leverkusen.

Grimaldo has been superb in 2025-26, and has already tallied up 13 goal involvements in all competitions, scoring eight times and supplying five assists.

The versatile wide player has already created 41 chances, 17 more than any of his team-mates (Aleix Garcia ranks second, with 24).

Leverkusen sit third in the Bundesliga heading into a clash with Borussia Dortmund, who are just a point behind them in fourth.

And Hjulmand had specific praise for Grimaldo ahead of Saturday's meeting with Dortmund.

"He's very important for the team's flexibility," said Hjulmand, whose side beat Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League in midweek.

"We give him a lot of freedom and he uses it to find the right spaces and give the team structure.

"Whether on the wing, in midfield or as a [number] ten, he is a top player and also has a very professional attitude, and he takes responsibility as a leader."

After hosting Dortmund in the league, Leverkusen then visit Signal Iduna Park in the DFB-Pokal three days later.

"They are a top team, as they showed again this week in the Champions League against Villarreal," Hjulmand said of Dortmund.

"They are very structured and bring a high level of intensity.

"We want to put in another good performance, play our game, take the next step and get better and better."

Dortmund, who were pegged back to a 3-3 draw by Stuttgart in their most recent league outing, have collected eleven points from their first six away matches of the current Bundesliga season – their best return at this stage since 2020-21 (thirteen points).

They have also kept three clean sheets on the road this term, the joint-most they have managed at this stage alongside 2018-19 (also three).

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Bayer Leverkusen - Jonas Hofmann

Hofmann has scored in two consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time since autumn 2023, the only time he did so in three consecutive league matches.

He has now equalled his goal tally from last season in the competition (two goals).

However, Hofmann has lost 12 Bundesliga games against his former club Dortmund – more defeats than he has suffered against any other side.

Borussia Dortmund - Maximilian Beier

Beier scored and assisted in a Bundesliga game for the sixth time in Dortmund's 3-3 draw against Stuttgart last week – five of those have been for Dortmund, and the other for Hoffenheim.

Only Serhou Guirassy has had more Bundesliga goal involvements for Dortmund this season (six – five goals, one assist) than Beier (five – three goals, two assists).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Since Hjulmand took over, Leverkusen have collected 22 points in nine Bundesliga games (W7 D1 L1) – only Bayern Munich (25) have picked up more in this period.

No coach has earned more points in their first nine Bundesliga games with Bayer 04 Leverkusen than the Dane (22, level with Sami Hyypia in 2013). Hjulmand's first top-flight home win came against Dortmund in September 2014 (2-0 with Mainz).

Leverkusen have netted 70% of their Bundesliga goals this season before half-time (19 of 27), the highest proportion in the competition, while Dortmund have conceded just two of their ten goals in the first half – both the fewest and smallest proportion (20%) in the competition.

Dortmund have dropped points from winning positions in each of their last two Bundesliga matches, as many as they had in their previous 24 Bundesliga games combined (four points).

Niko Kovac has only seen his team drop points from a winning position in three successive Bundesliga games once before, with Bayern in November 2018 (D2 L1).

Leverkusen have won their last three Bundesliga home games to nil – they last managed at least four consecutive such wins in the competition in spring 2015 (six in a row). Their 6-0 win in their last home match against Heidenheim was also their joint-biggest home win in their Bundesliga history.

However, Leverkusen have won just three of their last 18 home Bundesliga matches against Dortmund (D5 L10), with their most recent victory coming in January 2021 (2-1). The Werkself have a lower home win rate against no other side they have faced at least three times in the top-flight since the start of the 2007-08 season (17% - minimum three matches played).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bayer Leverkusen - 38.9%

Draw - 25.2%

Borussia Dortmund - 35.9%