Preview: Borussia Dortmund begin UCL campaign against Spurs

Borussia Dortmund will begin their Champions League campaign this Wednesday against English club Tottenham Hotspur.

Coach Peter Bosz will face another big challenge this Wednesday as his side visit Tottenham in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. This is the first instance of a double header for both teams meaning that they will play two games in less than a week. Both teams’ squad depth will be tested on Wednesday night.

Venue

Date: September 13th

Time: 8:45 p.m CET (local time)/2:45 p.m EST

Venue: Wembley Stadium, London

The iconic Wembley stadium will play host to Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund tomorrow night. /

Form Guide:

Borussia Dortmund

Last 5 matches: LWWWD

Last match: Dortmund 0-0 Freiburg

Analysis: Dortmund dominated the whole their league game this weekend reaching 80% on ball possession at one point. After Freiburg got a red card, the home team decided to park the bus and rescue one point from the very one sided match. As the game moved on it became evident that the mighty Freiburg defense wouldn’t be easily broken. Dortmund even brought the newly transferred Yarmolenko late in the second half to try to break the draw. Der BVB couldn’t get the ball across the line and had to settle for an agonizing draw.

Tottenham Hotspur

Last 4 matches: WWDW

Last Match: Tottenham 3-0 Everton

Analysis: Tottenham earned a very convincing win against Everton away this Saturday. Spurs were pretty solid on both attack and defense controlling 52% of ball possession and only conceding 1 shot on target. While playing with 3 at the back, Spurs’ defenders had a great day stopping any possible counters coming from Everton. On the attacking side, Harry Kane seems to be unstoppable scoring 2 goals with an amazing outside the box shot. Christian Eriksen also managed to appear on the goal sheet scoring a rebound goal.

Opposition star man

The player that stands out the most is English striker Harry Kane. Nicknamed the HurriKane, the Englishman has scored 101 goals in 169 games for the Spurs making him a natural poacher. He just ended his customary August drought with a banger scoring twice in his last match. Kane is a tall strong center forward that has decent heading capabilities, strong long shots, and can bang anything inside the box. The only downside (apart from his English speaking skills) is his pace which he counters with his amazing goalscoring abilities.

Harry Kane will lead the attack for Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night /

Matchup History

Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur have only met twice in their long history. Back in the Europa League in the 2015/16 season Dortmund and Tottenham squared up in the round of 16. Dortmund sailed past Spurs beating them twice and earning an aggregate score of 5-1. In both matches, Aubameyang and Reus were key factors for Dortmund’s success. In this time around Dortmund will be without their star left winger.

Possible lineups:

Dortmund 4-3-3

Burki – Piszczek, Toprak, Sokratis (c), Zagadou – Weigl, Castro, Gotze – Yarmolenko, Aubameyang, Pulisic

Dortmund lost Bartra and Schmelzer to injuries in their last match. Der BVB already have numerous injuries in their squad which include Reus, Guerreiro, Schurrle, Durm, and Rode. On a brighter note, Dortmund should have holding midfielder Julian Weigl ready for the game. Weigl has been out since the last game of last season where he picked up an injury. Toprak and Zagadou will could also get starts due to the respective injuries of Bartra and Schmelzer. Finally, we could see Ukranian international Andrey Yarmolenko earn his first start over the lackluster Maxi Philipp.

More from BVB Buzz

Tottenham Hotspur 3-4-3

Lloris (c) – Vertonghen, Sanchez, Alderweireld – Aurier, Dembele, Dier, Davies – Son, Eriksen – Kane

Tottenham have enjoyed a mixed start to their season, having lost 1, drawn 1 and won 2 of their matches. For their Champions League opener, they will be without their star attacking midfielder Dele Alli, who is out due to suspension. So all the pressure will fall on Christian Eriksen to create the chances for Tottenham. Also, Serge Aurier could make his debut instead of Trippier. Former Leverkusen winger Son Heung-Min is also likely to start. Tottenham have 4 important injuries, first Erik Lamela will remain out. The Argentinian has been out for almost a year with a hip injury. Next key left back, Danny Rose will also miss the game will remain out with a knee injury. The 2 other notable absences are Wanyama and Nkoudou.

Final Prediction

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund will face a tough and inspired opposition at Wembley. Tottenham will be hoping to pickup a win at home to kick off their campaign and will unleash their full offensive arsenal. This could benefit Peter Bosz’ men since Dortmund play a high pressing and counter attacking game. Tottenham will start the game as the underdogs and at the end, Dortmund should land a deadly counter to pickup the first 3 points of this Champions League campaign.

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