Why BVB will beat Bilbao

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Remaining unbeaten is one thing, but Kovač's side have done it by remaining rock solid at the back and finding different ways to score up front, exemplified by their last three wins in the Bundesliga. 

Since being held to a 3-3 draw by St. Pauli on the opening day of the season, Dortmund have reeled off four straight league wins - accounting for Union Berlin, Heidenheim, Wolfsburg and Mainz - without conceding. 

They're second in the league, behind only defending champions and old title rivals Bayern Munich following what is their best start to a season for eight years.

Away from the bread and butter of the Bundesliga, BVB have marched through to the DFB Cup second round and were desperately unlucky not to start their Champions League campaign with a win after playing out an eight-goal thriller at Juventus a fortnight ago.

Watch: Dortmund on the right track

There have been nine different scorers along the way, with Serhou Guirassy already on nine competitive goals for the season and Karim Adeyemi in the form of his life (16 goal involvements in 31 games since March alone, including seven this term).

Guirassy missed the 2-0 win in Mainz over the weekend after sustaining a thigh injury in the warm-up, but should be fit for the visit of Bilbao.

His stand-in against Mainz, Julian Brandt, filled the void brilliantly, producing two assists. Maxi Beier worked his socks off without scoring, and there was a long-awaited debut for summer signing Fábio Silva.

Whichever way you look at it, Kovač is stacked for attacking options. Bad news indeed for a Bilbao defence that has kept a clean sheet just once across eight games in all competitions so far this season. 

Ernesto Valverde's Athletic side are winless in five with four defeats and a draw, including a 1-0 loss to Villarreal on Saturday. They've conceded eight league goals all told and, beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Champions League Matchday 1, have also failed to score in all five of their losses.

That's almost as many goals against as Bundesliga saves made by Dortmund No.1 Gregor Kobel (nine). BVB's current crop really do give that little away.

And while the Black-Yellows exited the Champions League to Spanish opposition last season, losing 5-3 on aggregate to Barcelona at the quater-final stage, they won the home leg 3-1.

The latter footnote is perhaps no great surprise given the Signal Iduna Park's fortress-like reputation. 

All things considered, a 10th straight home win in all competitions is very much on the cards when Bilbao come to town.