Borussia Dortmund will host Celtic at Signal Iduna Park in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, looking to pick up a crucial win.
Borussia Dortmund are coming into the game against Celtic on the back of a 4-2 win over VfL Bochum this past weekend, and they will be confident of grinding out a positive result in their home debut in the new UEFA Champions League format.
The German giants have been formidable at Signal Iduna Park this season, and it remains to be seen whether they can continue that record here as well. Meanwhile, Celtic picked up a comprehensive 6-0 win over St. Johnstone at the weekend, and they will look to pull off an upset here.
An away trip to Dortmund will be a tough challenge for the Scottish giants, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and produce a strong performance. However, the Scottish champions proved their credentials with a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava on Matchday 1.
Both teams were quite impressive in their Champions League openers, and they will be confident of getting a good result here as well. Celtic picked up a resounding win over Slovan Bratislava, while Borussia Dortmund managed to beat Club Bruges in their opening game. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Giovanni Reyna is the only injury worry for Borussia Dortmund here, and the German club should be able to field a full-strength lineup against Celtic.
They are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Gregor Kobel in goal. Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Niklas Sule will start at the heart of the defence alongside Nico Schlotterbeck.
As for the midfield unit, Emre Can will start alongside Pascal Gross. They will look to protect the defenders and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Julian Brandt will start as the central attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi will add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas. They will look to open up the Celtic defence from the flanks. Finally, Serhou Guirassy will lead the line for the home side against Celtic.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Couto, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Gross, Can; Adeyemi, Brandt, Malen; Guirassy
Celtic
Celtic do not have any major injury issues heading into the game against Borussia Dortmund. The away side will be able to field a full-strength lineup.
Brendan Rodgers will line his side up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Kasper Schmeichel in goal. Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor will start as the full-backs, and they will look to protect the central defenders here. They will also look to hit Dortmund on the break. At the heart of the defence, Cameron Carter-Vickers will start alongside Liam Scales.
As for the midfield unit, Arne Engels will start alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate. They will look to add defensive cover and creativity to the side. Kyogo Furuhashi will lead the line for Celtic against Borussia Dortmund, with Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and Daizen Maeda on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
Key Stats
- Celtic have won their last six matches in all competitions.
- Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Borussia Dortmund have scored 14 goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
- Celtic have scored 24 goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
- Borussia Dortmund have conceded nine goals in their last four outings.
Player to Watch
Serhou Guirassy
The Guinean international is our key player to watch out for this week. He has started the season well, scoring three goals in three league games thus far this season. He made a cameo against Club Brugge last week and managed to get on the score sheet in that game as well.
Guirassy will look to add to his goalscoring tally here. He will certainly fancy his chances of exploiting the vulnerabilities in the Celtic defence, and it remains to be seen whether he can punish them with his movement and clinical finishing.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Celtic
Borussia Dortmund are undoubtedly the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out a victory at home. Celtic are in impressive form, and they will look to make life difficult for the German club. However, the gulf quality between the two teams is quite significant, and Nuri Sahin’s charges should be able to pick up a comprehensive victory here. A 3-1 win for the home side is on the cards.