Dortmund eye league record against Frankfurt

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BERLIN - Runaway leaders Borussia Dortmund are determined to cap a memorable first half of the season with their 15th victory in 17 games on Saturday to set a Bundesliga record for the most points at the halfway mark.

Their Europa League exit, following a 2-2 draw against Sevilla on Wednesday, is seen as a minor inconvenience for Dortmund, who visit Eintracht Frankfurt with an 11-point league over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

"This defeat in Sevilla is not going to affect our league routine," said Dortmund and Germany defender Mats Hummels. "There is no reason to drop our heads now."

"We will try to come back from Frankfurt with the three points to go into the winter break with a warm feeling," Hummels told reporters.

With 43 points from 16 games, a win at Frankfurt would see them better Bayern Munich's record 44 points from 17 in the 2005/06 season.

There are only a few records left for Jurgen Klopp's team to break after a spectacular run that has also seen them go unbeaten since their opening match and win all eight of their away games, another league record.

Top striker Lucas Barrios, who played against the Spaniards on Wednesday, will be back in Bundesliga action after a minor injury kept him out for two weeks.

KIESSLING BACK

Leverkusen, unbeaten for seven games, take on fifth-placed Freiburg on Sunday and are hoping to have striker Stefan Kiessling back in the squad after injury.

"I recovered quicker than expected," said the Germany forward, who has been training with the team for the past week.

Champions Bayern Munich, still struggling for consistency and lying sixth, face a tricky trip to relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart who have a new coach in Bruno Labbadia.

The former Bayern Munich player, who became their third coach this season after taking over from Jens Keller last week, is hoping to help them turn the corner before the four-week winter break.

Bottom-of-the-table Borussia Moenchengladbach host Hamburg SV on Friday, with both coaches looking anxiously over their shoulders.

Hamburg's Armin Veh has seen his team lose four of their last five games to drop to ninth on 21 points while Gladbach have won only twice this season under Michael Frontzeck.

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