Two continental giants are eager to get off the mark in the Champions League as they take on each other in a mammoth Group F clash.
When the draws were confirmed, Group F did look like the most daunting task for all teams involved here. For starters, Newcastle United were rubbished to fall into this Group of Death, and their inexperience showed in the opening game against AC Milan, who take on Borussia Dortmund next, at San Siro.
In any case, it was not a good opening game for Borussia Dortmund as Edin Terzic’s men fell to a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain away from home. The Bundesliga giants have to answer some serious questions if they want to maintain hopes of qualifying for the next round. So, the AC Milan game is already into must-win territory for Dortmund.
Und jetzt: Champions League in Sicht 👀#BVBACM pic.twitter.com/hE2LdJcSbv
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) October 3, 2023
Since that loss, Dortmund have sprung back to their earlier good form and secured wins over Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim. Moreover, the German side have a good record at Signal Iduna Park, where they have only once in their last five games in the Champions League, which provides them with plenty of hope ahead of hosting Milan.
Stefano Pioli, like Terzic, will seek answers from his players and urge them to show ambition to go further in this continental competition. Despite their goalless draw in the opening game, Milan were by far the better team and should have scored plenty of goals against Newcastle United.
Profligacy was a big issue for Milan forwards, as the team created 25 chances in that game alone. However, Pioli will rely on their league form afterwards, as they have settled at the top of the table, with local rivals Inter Milan only ahead on goal difference.
Unlike Dortmund, Milan still have some room to manoeuvre around in Group F, although they are aware of the tough task to get a result away at Dortmund. Yet, Pioli’s side have the firepower to sustain damage to the Bundesliga side and get a favourable outcome to the game.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Thomas Meunier, Mateu Morey and Marcel Sabitzer are out of the AC Milan clash with different injuries. The latter is the closest to returning to first-team action in the coming period as he continues to recover from the injury sustained against PSG.
🎙️ Füllkrug: "Wir haben unsere Strategien und Ideen. Ich glaube, dass diese gegen jede Mannschaft funktionieren kann, wenn wir die nötige Konzentration und Umsetzungsfähigkeit auf den Platz bekommen."
Die Pressekonferenz ist beendet. #BVBACM pic.twitter.com/4KHaTaPVjM
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) October 3, 2023
Ramy Bensebaini’s red card against Hoffenheim will have resulted in a domestic ban. But Edin Terzic will start with the left-back against Milan. Niklas Sule had a dreadful outing against PSG, and since then, the manager has sustained good results using Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck as his central defensive pairing.
In central midfield, with Sabitzer still absent, Salih Ozcan should continue to deputise for the Austrian. Meanwhile, Terzic could opt to bring Emre Can in a starting role, while Julian Brandt will start in a midfield three but will play as the most advanced midfielder in the setup.
With that shape in mind, Marco Reus, despite his latest goal, could drop down to the bench in favour of Karim Adeyemi. Donyell Malen will continue down the right-hand side of the front three, and then Niclas Fullkrug, boosted by his maiden Dortmund goal, will lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schotterbeck, Bensebaini; Brandt, Can, Ozcan; Malen, Fullkrug, Adeyemi
AC Milan
Ruben Loftus-Cheek became the latest AC Milan midfielder to visit the treatment room after sustaining an abdominal injury against Lazio. The former Chelsea man’s absence could give Pioli a selection dilemma, as he might choose to play Yunus Musah in the holding role against Borussia Dortmund.
#UCL vibes in the air 😃#BVBACM #SempreMilan
Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/9rYRnS5V4O— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 3, 2023
Tijjani Reijnders and Yacine Adli are best placed to provide support for the USMNT star in that midfield three. At the back, Simon Kjaer could return to the bench to allow Malick Thiaw to resume his partnership with Fikayo Tomori, while Davide Calabria and Thoe Hernandez will keep their places in the full-back roles.
Pioli must also choose his front three rather carefully so as not to repeat what happened in the opening game against Newcastle. However, Christian Pulisic, boosted by his goal against Lazio and a return to Signal Iduna Park, will likely keep Samuel Chukwueze out for the time being.
There is not a big debate about who competes in the other two attacking spots in the front three. There is no disputing Rafael Leao’s place after a brace of assists at the weekend and the experience of Olivier Giroud to lead the line for Milan.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Adli, Musah, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in 18 home games in all competitions.
- Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan have not met in a competitive game since the Champions League group stage of the 2002/03 season.
- Borussia Dortmund have conceded only one goal in their last five home games in the Champions League.
- AC Milan have failed to score in their last three Champions League games.
- AC Milan have scored only two goals in 540 minutes of Champions League football.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
Goals, assists and tons of smiles: @RafaeLeao7 is the @emirates MVP for September 😁🏄#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/CBGAIIEKfP
— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 3, 2023
After missing a glorious chance against Newcastle United in the opening game, among other opportunities, Leao will be itching to get off the mark in the Champions League this season. With a stunning league form to back himself, the Portuguese star must put on a show against Dortmund.
This is a key game that could have a big effect on the direction of either team and as they often do in games, Milan will look up to their star winger for solutions. The left-hand side also consists of Hernandez, who often combines well with the in-demand Leao, and the duo must put on a show in Germany.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 AC Milan
As Group F promises to be the most exciting group in this edition of the Champions League, the Dortmund-Milan game brings in plenty of excitement for the neutral. Both teams have enough quality to hurt each other, and the overall levels could bring about a balance on the pitch.
While Dortmund will enter this game as favourites, Milan have clutch players like Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud who can hurt any team with half a chance. Hence, while many factors like defensive stability and home advantage point towards Dortmund, this game has the hallmarks of ending in an entertaining draw.
