Borussia Dortmund are hoping to weather the coming storm from Sevilla as the two sides meet in the second leg fixture at Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.
Following a demoralising 4-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund shift their attention to the UEFA Champions League as they welcome Sevilla on Tuesday.
The Black and Yellows are heading into this game on the back of a 3-2 advantage in the first leg. The three away goals mean Sevilla will at least have to score the same number of goals while keeping the mighty Dortmund attack at bay.
It will be a difficult challenge for the Spanish giants, given how their defence was completely ripped apart by Erling Haaland and co. In addition to that, the club has registered only one win in four matches since the first leg, including their knockout at the hands of FC Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey as well as a defeat to Elche on the weekend.
Dortmund, in contrast, were in excellent form before their run was eventually halted by Bayern Munich. They still have good reasons to be optimistic about this game, and the fans have witnessed a significant improvement in chance creation and defensive solidity. Both will be critical as they look to seal their ticket to the quarterfinals of the Champions League this midweek.
And here, at the Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over these two sides ahead of this crucial match-up at the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
Tactics & Team News
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund suffered a major blow against Bayern when Erling Haaland picked up a knock. However, Edin Terzic has confirmed that he is confident of having the striker available, although the same cannot be said for Jadon Sancho, who is set to miss the next few matches and is unlikely to return before the Eintracht Frankfurt game.
? Marco Reus:
“It would make all of us incredibly proud to make it through to the quarter-finals. We have to be prepared for everything and we will be." pic.twitter.com/GDcjNY7vNt
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 8, 2021
Fortunately for the Black and Yellows, they have Thorgan Hazard back from injury, so the Belgian is likely to continue alongside Marco Reus, just behind Haaland in the Dortmund attack. The two attacking midfielders are set to play a crucial role in this tie, particularly in regards to their understanding between them.
The combination play between Haaland and Reus has looked quite solid in recent weeks, although the absence of Sancho will certainly be felt on Tuesday. Terzic does, however, have the likes of Giovanni Reyna, Julian Brandt and Youssoufa Moukoko as potential alternatives in the final third.
In midfield, Terzic has no reason to tinker with the 4-3-3 setup that has been working wonderfully in recent matches. There could be a change in personnel, though, with Thomas Delaney making way for the more attack-minded Jude Bellingham.
The young Englishman is set to play a key role in offering the ball-progression in half-spaces, alongside the in-form Mahmoud Dahoud, while Emre Can could operate in the holding midfield slot.
The German is also an option in centre-back, but with Dan-Axel Zagadou back from injury, Terzic might not want to change anything to his central defensive unit.
There will, however, be one change at right-back, with Mateu Morey replacing Thomas Meunier. Raphael Guerreiro, unfortunately, remains a doubt, for now, meaning Nico Schulz is still the favourite at left-back. It could lead to a right-sided overload from the Dortmund side, knowing Schulz’s lack of offensive prowess.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hitz; Morey, Hummels, Zagadou, Schulz; Bellingham, Can, Dahoud; Reus, Haaland, Sancho
Sevilla
Sevilla were completely overwhelmed by the Dortmund pressure in the first-leg and need to devise a plan to keep them quiet this time around.
Julen Lopetegui’s 4-3-3 makes sense as Terzic has started to implement a similar role, but the two ageing midfielders in Ivan Rakitic and Fernando need to appear more competent in the second line of press. In addition, Joao Jordan must offer better support after a horrendous display in the first leg.
? En route to Germany. ??
Safe flight, lads!??#WeareSevilla #UCL #NeverSurrender pic.twitter.com/FVfFbEYLbW— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) March 8, 2021
Defensively, Navas couldn’t really influence the game going forward. They may have a difficult time once again, although with Guerreiro a doubt, Navas may enjoy more freedom on the right-hand channel. Bounou, though, remains a major absentee in between the sticks, with Tomas Vaclik set to continue in goal.
Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos remain guaranteed starters at the heart of the Sevilla backline, but their defensive strength will be tested by the likes of Haaland, Reus and Hazard. Sevilla, though, are likely to implement a risky game, with Kounde expected to make his trademarks driving runs forward with the ball.
And finally, in the attacking unit, Sevilla boss Lopetegui may want to start with Luuk de Jong, who made quite an impact after coming on as a substitute against Dortmund. His ability to operate as a target man should give him the visitors a major edge, especially in set-pieces where Dortmund are quite vulnerable.
The onus, however, will be on Suso and Munir El Haddadi to offer the creativity out wide, with Lopetegui having a host of alternatives, including Oscar Rodriguez, Oliver Torres and the top scorer Youssef En-Nesyri.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vaclik; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Jordan, Fernando, Rakitic; Suso, de Jong, Munir
Key Stats
- BVB have lost only three of their 16 home matches against Spanish visitors (W8 D5) and have won five of the last eight (D2 L1).
- Thanks to his brace against Bayern at the weekend, Erling Haaland has scored 45 times in 46 competitive games for Dortmund.
- Only Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski has scored as many goals in the competition as Haaland since the Norwegian’s UCL debut in September 2019 (both 18).
- Jadon Sancho has had a direct hand in 15 of Dortmund’s 31 competitive goals since the turn of the year (eight goals, seven assists).
- Jude Bellingham is the youngest English player to start a Champions League knockout stage game at 17 years, 233 days in the first leg.
Player to Wach
Erling Haaland
✨ Getting ready for the @ChampionsLeague ! #UCL #BVBSEV pic.twitter.com/p8iBwqhtOo
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) March 8, 2021
Erling Haaland is the first player to score 18 goals in his first 13 UEFA Champions League appearances. The Norwegian is one goal away from equalling Norway’s all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who netted 19 goals in the competition.
At this point, it is perhaps needless to establish that the Borussia Dortmund striker is the man for the big occasion, having also netted twice in the game against Bayern Munich before being taken off as a precaution. He caused quite a stir in the first leg as well, bullying his way through Kounde and Carlos to score a brace.
It makes him an automatic danger man for Sevilla heading into this game. Indeed, Lopetegui’s needs to play his cards right against the dynamic Haaland if he is to have any chance of advancing to the next round.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Sevilla
Despite the slow start to his temporary time in charge of Borussia Dortmund, Edin Terzic’s men have appeared quite solid at home, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon against a Sevilla side whose season has turned upside down following the first leg defeat. Although the Spanish giants may still trouble the BVB backline, the attacking trifecta of Haaland, Hazard and Reus could be a bit too hard to contain.
