Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to stop an in-form Rangers side at home as the Europa League knockout stage kicks off.
German giants Borussia Dortmund will be keen to seize the advantage when they take on Scottish champions Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League playoff clash at Signal Iduna Park on Thursday night.
Dortmund are a formidable team on their day but have proven to be extremely inconsistent this term. Despite possessing a talented squad with several match-winners, the Black and Yellows have been unable to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s slip-ups in the German top flight. Marco Rose’s side is currently second in the Bundesliga, six points off the summit.
Dortmund are among the best teams left in the Europa League and could take a huge step towards the title if they beat Rangers in the knockout tie. Despite losing manager Steven Gerrard midway through the season, the Ibrox outfit have rallied behind new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst and continue to be major players in the Scottish Premiership.
Despite their dominance in the league, Scottish sides have struggled to make an impact on the continental stage of late. Rangers go into the game on the back of three straight wins and can make a point should they defeat Dortmund in Germany in the first leg.
Both sides have met each other just eight times before, and it is curiously the Scottish Champions who hold a better head-to-head record. The Gers have won thrice while losing only once. The last time these two sides faced off was in the 1999/2000 Europa League (then UEFA Cup), where Dortmund emerged victorious.
Rangers will be hoping for better luck this time around. Current Rangers boss van Bronckhorst lined up for the Scottish giants for both the legs that season. Whether he will experience better fortunes as a manager remains to be seen. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Back in action tomorrow ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/XuU8RjNv0h
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 16, 2022
The German giants are a formidable side but often lack consistency. Marco Rose’s men won half of their six games in the Champions League group stage but could not secure progression to the Round of 16. They finished third in the group and were relegated to the continent’s second-tier competition.
Rose has several issues to deal with and could be without some of his best players on the night. Mateu Morey is out for the game while the quartet of Thomas Meunier, Marius Wolf, Marcel Schmelzer and Erling Haaland are all doubts. Mats Hummels, however, returned to the starting lineup last time around and aided the Germans in keeping a clean sheet.
Rose looks set to deploy his side in a 4-3-3 system that gets the best out of his attack. Gregor Kobel starts in goal behind the back four of Raphael Guerreiro, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Mats Hummels and Manuel Akanji.
Axel Witsel will be tasked with keeping things tight in midfield and asserting his side’s dominance in the middle of the park. Jude Bellingham and Mahmoud Dahoud will provide the energy and inspiration in midfield, taking the game to Rangers from the word go. Bellingham is likely to be the ball-carrier from midfield and will attempt to thread through passes to the Dortmund frontline.
The front three of Marco Reus, Donyell Malen and Julian Brandt have the potential to be a real force and can hurt Rangers if they turn up on the night. The Rangers defence goes into the tie having not conceded a single goal in their last three games. Faced up against the roving Dortmund trio, their ability will certainly be put to the test.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kobel; Guerreiro, Zagadou, Hummels, Akanji; Dahoud, Witsel, Bellingham; Reus, Malen, Brandt
Rangers
The Scottish Champions appear to have had an eye on the clash all along and rested several of their players at the weekend. Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in the Rangers side that threw away a 2-0 first-leg lead at the Westfalenstadion in 1999, and he will be keen to avoid a repeat.
Rangers will be without Ryan Jack and Ianis Hagi, who are nursing ankle and knee injuries, respectively. Nnamdi Ofoborh, meanwhile, has been ruled out with heart issues.
✈️ #UEL pic.twitter.com/s95SKFEVvv
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) February 16, 2022
The Gers look set to be deployed in a 4-2-3-1 formation that could look to choke the air out of Dortmund by crowding the midfield. Allan McGregor will return to the starting lineup in goal and will feature behind Borna Barisic, Calvin Bassey, Connor Goldson and the excellent James Tavernier.
The duo of Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara will form the double pivot and could be in for a battle against Witsel and Dahoud for supremacy in midfield. Depriving Bellingham of the ball will certainly limit Dortmund’s front three from wreaking havoc. More so, winning the ball in midfield will also allow Rangers to unleash Ryan Kent and Amad Diallo on the wings.
Welsh star Aaron Ramsey will attempt to pull the strings from an advanced position and look to drive into the box with the ball. In Alfredo Morelos, Rangers have an excellent striker who is not just capable of scoring on his own but also linking up well with the players around him. How well the Colombian ace fares on the night could help dictate his side’s fortunes.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): McGregor; Barisic, Bassey, Goldson, Tavernier; Aribo, Kamara; Kent, Ramsey, Diallo; Morelos
Key Stats
- Both teams have played each other eight times before, with Borussia Dortmund winning just once.
- The home side has avoided defeat in all eight clashes between the two teams.
- Rangers have faced defeat in seven of their last eight away games against German opponents (D1). The last time the Scottish giants prevailed was in 1998 against Bayer Leverkusen.
- Rangers have prevailed in ten of their previous 14 two-legged ties in the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup. During this time, they lost the first leg just thrice.
- Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has scored 23 goals in 20 appearances in major European competitions (excluding qualifiers).
Player to Watch
Marco Reus
Marco Reus in-form tomorrow or we riot pic.twitter.com/p0anw72Tj7
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 15, 2022
With Erling Haaland potentially set to miss out, the onus to find the back of the net will fall on the in-form Marco Reus. The most experienced of Dortmund’s front three, the German international, comes into the match on the back of a game-winning brace against Union Berlin at the weekend. As Dortmund’s second top scorer, Reus’s linkup with Jude Bellingham could be key to the home side breaking through Rangers’ defence.
The Gers backline has appeared very solid of late but has at times shown glaring issues. A smart player who is difficult to pin down, Reus has the right skill set to exploit the weakness. It is fair to assume that most of Dortmund’s penetrating attacks will, in all likelihood, pass through the 32-year-old German attacker.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Rangers
The game is certainly an interesting one between two sides who are, if anything, inconsistent. Dortmund go into the game with several injury headaches but still retain the upper hand in terms of player quality.
The Yellow Wall will also be in full voice, making Rangers’ task even more difficult. In the end, Marco Rose’s experience and his side’s superior ability should shine through, earning Dortmund a comfortable win.
