LEADERS LEIPZIG WILL PUT DORTMUND'S FAITH IN ŞAHIN TO THE TEST

Borussia Dortmund have again dominated the German football headlines this week, and sadly not for the right reasons.

The sense that Schwarzgelben are falling hard continues apace on the back of successive defeats at FC Augsburg and VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, respectively. That, after under-fire first-year coach Nuri Şahin had been widely criticised -- including in this space -- for his second-half tactical and personnel switches at Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League that helped turn a 2-0 advantage into a 5-2 defeat.

Saturday's performance in the Fuggerstadt lacked tempo and punch, and BVB got what their uninspiring play deserved after Donyell Malen had given them an early lead. To be charitable, the Wolfsburg trip always looked likely to be laced with difficulties for Şahin, who could barely cobble together a team of fit players and had to improvise by, for example, deploying Pascal Gross at right-back and Julian Brandt as a sitting midfielder.

The fact is, though, Dortmund, after conceding to Wolfsburg substitute Jonas Wind on 117 minutes, have lost lost out on the short route to a trophy and there is scant evidence that the longer journeys necessary to win the Meisterschale or Henkelpott (the German name for the Champions League trophy) will bear any fruit.

Dortmund have put together a strange sequence of results this season: perfect at home in all competitions, while dismal away. On-pitch leadership has been in short supply, whether from goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and club captain Emre Can, which speaks to a certain overall Verunsicherung (uncertainty.)

The good news is Saturday's Topspiel will be in front of 81,365 and of course BVB's famous Gelbe Wand (yellow wall). The bad news is Dortmund's opponents are a very capable RB Leipzig side, coached by Marco Rose. Yes, the same Rose who oversaw the Schwarzgelben in 2021-22 before being unceremoniously dismissed in a move that took many of us by surprise.

Rose, a Leipziger by birth, has been at the RBL helm for more than two years and the fit -- style and personality wise -- just feels right, helped to by a considerable background working at sister club, RB Salzburg.

Level at the top with Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga's Bollwerk (bulwark) with only three goals conceded. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is enjoying one of his best starts to a season, while Willi Orban remains of the most able defensive leaders in the Bundesliga -- in addition to offering a genuine attacking threat at set plays.

Even without Xavi Simons and Xaver Schlager, both out for the medium- to long term, there are enough component parts to put the fear in BVB. Lois Openda, with five league goals to his name this term, was clocked as the fastest player across all Bundesliga games played last week.

Leipzig prevailed in both meetings with Dortmund last season and have been victorious in two of their past three visits to the Signal Iduna Park.

Injuries may again mean a patchwork-quilt quality to BVB, with the possibility of the struggling Can having to line up at right-back in place of Julian Ryerson.

Dortmund fell to their third straight defeat across all competitions on Tuesday with the DFB-Pokal loss at Wolfsburg. Hendrik Deckers/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

BVB failed the first test they faced against a German Champions League team when thumped 5-1 by VfB Stuttgart. If it goes completely awry for them on Saturday evening, how much patience will managing director for sport Lars Ricken and CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke have with Şahin? The signals I'm getting are that they still feel it's still too early to make a change, but another defeat would have the alarm bells ringing loudly.

Can Leverkusen-Stuttgart deliver more fireworks?

Ask anyone who avidly follows the Bundesliga which games last season brought the most entertainment, verve and general excitement, and they'll tell you: the epics between Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.

It's no overstatement. Die Schwaben gave the eventual champions the runaround at times in all three competitive meetings, and only a late Jonathan Tah headed winner for Leverkusen in the wild DFB-Pokal quarterfinal the separated them.

Back in August, I witnessed first-hand while commentating for viewers around the world at the BayArena, another night of DFL-Supercup intensity. Again, Leverkusen left it late, this time a Patrik Schick leveller sending the curtain raiser to penalties before die Werkself got to hold aloft their third trophy in 2024.

So, Friday night again under the Bayer-Kreuz promises to be a can't-miss experience.

Xabi Alonso has heavily rotated his squad recently, making eight changes ahead of the past two competitive matches. Tuesday's 3-0 Pokal win over Elversberg saw Leverkusen conserve energy in the second half, clearly with Friday in mind.

It's hard to imagine this not being a night of attacking fireworks with Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Victor Boniface on one side and then Deniz Undav plus the in-form Jamie Leweling and El Bilal Toure on the other.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro told me a few weeks ago, they always have a shortlist of potential future coaches as a matter of professionalism. If this happensto be Alonso's last season -- and that's by no means definite -- it would be logical to imagine Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeness appearing at the top of that list.

Bielefeld are, in fact, very real

In the past 30 years in German life, it has become a matter of satire to say that the city of Bielefeld doesn't actually exist. Well, its existence was very real in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday night as Arminia Bielefeld, now in the 3. Liga, put Union Berlin, currently fourth in the Bundesliga, to the sword.It was my personal favourite Pokal match or the week in front of 26,117 at the Bielefelder Alm.

Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat promised a game auf Augenhöhe (at eye level) in terms of willingness to run and working against the ball. His players made an energetic start and Marius Wörl's outrageous long-range finish, after an errant pass by Andras Schäfer, put Arminia on their way. Andre Becker added a second goal -- set up by the impressive Wörl -- with just under 20 minutes to go.

You might remember Bielefeld were in the Bundesliga before the Abstieg (demotion) struck in 2022. Thereafter they went sliding straight down to the 3. Liga.

Now they'll fly the flag for the league they play in when the draw for the Pokal third round is made in Dortmund on Sunday by Andre Schnura, who delighted fans all over Germany with his saxophone music during Euro 2024.

- Derek Rae

DORTMUND ENDS 'ROLLERCOASTER' DAY IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS

Borussia Dortmund players celebrate in front of their fans after reaching the Champions League semifinals. Getty Images

 Marcel Sabitzer scored late and set up two goals to send Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League semifinals with a helter-skelter 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

After losing the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid, Dortmund had to come from behind twice over two legs to advance 5-4 on aggregate.

Julian Brandt opened the scoring to level the tie before Sabitzer set up Ian Maatsen to give Dortmund a 2-0 lead on the night.

Atlético coach Diego Simeone responded with three changes at the break and they all paid off. A Mats Hummels own goal and goal from substitute Joaquín Correa put the Spanish side back in front on aggregate.

Then Sabitzer set up Niclas Füllkrug in the 71st minute for the Germany forward's first goal after nine scoreless games, and Sabitzer scored himself three minutes later to send Dortmund into the last four.

"That was a rollercoaster, a really great evening," Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said. "It's not always like that for Borussia Dortmund. The last time we were in the semifinals was in 2013. This is a great day for all Borussen."

Dortmund will face Paris Saint-Germain again in the semifinals. PSG progressed to the final four with a 4-1 win at Barcelona. And Dortmund coach Edin Terzic feels his side, who won the Champions League in 1997, are now better prepared to face the French champions, after the Germans lost away and drew at home in the group stage.

"Our first game against them wasn't good. In the second game, we adjusted to them better and were closer to victory. I think we're a better team today than we were against them in the group stage," Terzic said following the win over Atletico.

The final will be played June 1 in London, where Dortmund lost the 2013 final 2-1 to bitter rival Bayern Munich.

Tuesday's win stretched Dortmund's unbeaten run at home in the Champions League to 10 games.

"We were close to tying the game, but they were superior, and when a team is superior they should be congratulated," Simeone said.

Atlético needed goalkeeper Jan Oblak at his best. He denied Brandt, then Karim Adeyemi, before Brandt finally made the breakthrough in the 34th, firing a powerful shot in off Oblak's leg from a difficult angle after eluding former teammate Axel Witsel.

Sabitzer then combined with Maatsen, who surged past two defenders and fired the ball inside the far post in the 39th. It was the Dutch defender's first Champions League goal.

But Atlético only needed four minutes after the break to level the tie when Hummels' attempted clearance of Mario Hermoso's header ended in his own net.

Correa should have scored shortly afterward when he nudged the ball wide. Simeone - dressed sharply in a black suit - flopped to the ground in frustration.

Correa made no mistake in the 64th when he fired in a rebound after his first attempt was blocked.

It put the visitors back in front, but Sabitzer was involved in both goals as Dortmund struck twice in three minutes to send the home fans wild.

"It was a crazy game for the fans and for us. A great game for us, for our fans and for all football fans around the world," Brandt said after receiving his man-of-the-match award.

"It's going to be very serious now against Paris. We played well against them at home in the group stage, but not well away. We want to do better now and, of course, reach the final."

For striker Niclas Fullkrug, who also got on the scoresheet, the Champions League semifinals will be a new experience.

"I've never played at this level before and I'm very proud to be in the semifinals of the Champions League with my team," Fullkrug said. "Things will certainly be different against Paris than in the group stage."

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.

- ESPN News Services