SOCCER: Leverkusen in battle for top-four spot as Dortmund look to next season

Bayer Leverkusen will be battling for a top-four spot when they travel to second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, with the hosts already looking to next season following what is likely to be a trophyless campaign.

Leverkusen, Bundesliga champions in 2024, are currently in sixth place on 49 points, four points off fourth place which brings a Champions League berth next season.

Dortmund are second on 64 points, nine behind leaders Bayern Munich with only six matches remaining. RB Leipzig in third and fourth-placed VfB Stuttgart are both on 53.

Leverkusen will be hoping a 6-3 comeback win over VfL Wolfsburg last week -- their first league victory in four matches -- will provide the spark for a strong season run-in that includes their German Cup semi-final against Bayern on April 22.

"This important win can give us a push for the remaining matches," said Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand, who took over from Erik ten Hag after just two matches into the league campaign.

The Dane knows he has to deliver to have any chance of staying on in the job, and his team have their work cut out with games against fellow Champions League hopefuls Leipzig and Stuttgart to come in May.

The situation in Dortmund is far less urgent with the club having all but secured second spot following a strong domestic campaign under Niko Kovac.

However, with Bayern nine points clear in the league they are likely to end the season without silverware.

"It is not what we want because with a club like Dortmund your standards have to be always high, and you try to play every single game to win and to win titles," said Dortmund's Fabio Silva.

"We are not fully happy because we cannot realistically fight for a title for now, but of course we can improve a lot of things, and we can win a lot more than titles to keep building this team and this club."

Leaders Bayern, buoyed by Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, travel to relegation-threatened St Pauli.

The Bavarians are a goal away from equalling the all-time Bundesliga record of 101 in a season.

-Karolos Grohmann/Reuters