Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan: What To Expect
This Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan will face each other in the first match of this summer’s International Champions Cup preseason tour. This tournament has been held every summer since 2013, and since 2015, has been a global competition. The ICC is a great way for popular European clubs to play in front of their fans around the world.
Information About the Game
Borussia Dortmund vs. AC Milan
Date: Tuesday, July 18th
Location: Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China
Time: 7:20 p.m. local time/12:20 p.m. BST/7:20 a.m. EST
How To Watch: US – ESPN (WatchESPN) UK – Premier Sports
Borussia Dortmund Squad
Borussia Dortmund also has an extensive list of players that they are bringing to China for the ICC tournament. A substantial change to remember is that Sven Bender is not with the team as Dortmund recently sold him to Bayer Leverkusen. Notable injuries to the squad include Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus, Julian Weigl, and Shinji Kagawa.
Dortmund fans will be happy knowing that Mario Gotze is finally back, and will more than likely make an appearance against the Italian giants. You can read about his return to the pitch here on BVB Buzz. There is also a chance that Peter Bosz will give Mahmoud Dahoud his first minutes in a yellow jersey.
What To Expect From Milan
AC Milan has made an incredible number of signings under new owner Li Yonghong, who has pumped an insane amount of money into the club. From Andre Silva to former Bundesliga man Ricardo Rodriguez, to even poaching Leonardo Bonucci from rivals Juventus, each signing boasts the spending power that AC Milan now possesses. Under manager Vincenzo Montella, these players should build a formidable team to take Milan back to the top in Italy.
There is, however, a problem with all these new faces coming in. They haven’t had the time to get to know each other and play together. While Milan may have many talented players in their lineup, they are not yet a unit.
Milan still has a backline full of incredible defenders. While Dortmund is a very attack-oriented side, they might encounter some difficulty breaking past the likes of Musacchio and Rodriguez. And after that, between the sticks lies the future of European goalkeeping, Gianluigi Donnarumma. He is a far better keeper than any of Dortmund’s and will be tough to score on, despite a bad performance in the Confederations Cup.
Milan’s midfield is missing many stars, so that is one area where Dortmund will most likely dominate. I don’t exactly expect much from players like Montolivo and Suso. Gotze, Castro, Larsen, Dahoud, and possibly Pulisic should be able to control the pace of the game.
Milan will most likely play Borini, Calhanoglu, and Bacca on their frontline in the same 4-3-3 formations Dortmund will use, which shouldn’t be too much for the Dortmund defense to handle.
What To Expect From Dortmund
Zagadou has proven that he is a strong and mature player alongside Toprak. They will rotate with Sokratis, Subotic, and Bartra to collectively form a potent backline.
Emre Mor has hit incredible form in his last two matches, and we hope to see that continue against Milan. Mor will likely be alongside Aubameyang, Dembele, Max Phillip, and Andre Schurrle during the match. This will hopefully be enough to see Dortmund put a few goals past the Milan defense.
As mentioned before, expect Dortmund’s midfield to dominate the pace of the game. That, in simplicity, will be the game changer. The simple fact of the matter is that if Milan had more of their new signings with them, this would be a closer game. Dortmund has had more time to prepare and has most of the squad available to participate.
Prediction: Dortmund Wins Over AC Milan