5 reasons Dortmund will qualify for Europe

Dortmund were desperately unlucky to go out of the UEFA Champions League in mid-April, beating Barcelona 3-1 at home but ultimately falling at the quarter-final stage 5-3 on aggregate.

Did they wallow? Not a bit. Four consecutive wins over Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen have lifted them up to their highest standing since Matchday 13 whilst extending their unbeaten run to seven. Champions League qualification is very much a possibility, too, with Freiburg just one point above in fourth.

Goals win games, so it’s just as well Dortmund have those in abundance. Only Bayern Munich (95) and Leverkusen (70) have outscored BVB this season. The Black-Yellows are even higher up the ladder for Rückrunde goals, with 36 to Bayern’s 41.

Serhou Guirassy’s the main man in the final third, the summer 2024 signing producing 33 goals in all competitions, including 20 in the Bundesliga. Maximilian Beier has found his feet with five goal contributions in his last six Bundesliga appearances, while Karim Adeyemi’s goal and assist againt Leverkusen was the latest example of his return to favour and form since Niko Kovač took charge at the end of January.

Dortmund’s top brass will be beginning to feel fully vindicated for bringing in Kovač in the wake of Nuri Şahin’s dismissal. BVB have taken 26 points from a possible 39 under the Croatian, who previously won the DFB Cup with Frankfurt and a domestic double at the Bayern helm.