BVB Buzz
Fansided

Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta; BVB begin Europa League journey

By Shawn Ivan D'souza

DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 10: Mario Goetze of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV at Signal Iduna Park on February 10, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 10: Mario Goetze of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV at Signal Iduna Park on February 10, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Borussia Dortmund had a very disappointing campaign in the Champions League this season. The Black and Yellows were unable to pick up a win throughout their campaign and collected a mere 2 points. But by the virtue of goal difference, they find themselves in the Europa League. Can Stöger’s men bring the trophy home this season?

In the Round of 32, Borussia Dortmund will be up against Serie A club, Atalanta. The Italian side entered the tournament in the group stages by finishing 4th in the Serie A last season. With 4 wins and 2 draws, manager Gasperini’s side topped their group which involved Everton and Lyon. Atalanta scored 14 goals and conceded only 4 throughout the period. But the side is currently languishing in 8th position on the Serie A table. Atalanta has failed to hold a consistent form like last season.

Here is all you need to know before our clash against Atalanta on Thursday:

Match Information

Location: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany

Date: February 15th, 2018

Time: 6:00pm(GMT)/7:00pm(CET)

More from BVB Buzz

Form Guide

Borussia Dortmund
Last 5 matches: DDDWW

Last match: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Hamburg SV

Analysis: Marco Reus made his return to the starting XI for the first time this season at the weekend. Peter Stöger fielded a very attacking side for the fixture. It took time for Borussia Dortmund to break down the Hamburg defence. Once again, it was Batshuayi who opened the scoring for the Black and Yellows in the 49th minute. The away side was making strides to draw level but our defence held strong. Mario Götze came on as a substitute and sealed the game for Dortmund in injury time, making it 2 wins in a row for Stöger.

Atalanta
Last 5 matches: LWLWD

Last match: Atalanta 1-1 Crotone

Analysis: It was a game that lightened up only in the last few minutes. Atalanta was dominating possession for most parts of the game. But the Bergamo based side was unable to find the back of the net on multiple occasions. Crotone’s resilience paid off as Mandragora opened up the scoring in the 79th minute. In the dying minutes of regulation time, Atalanta’s Palomino latched on a free ball in the box to level the scoring and bring home a point for the visitors.

Opposition star man

ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 06: Josip Ilicic of Atalanta BC in action during the serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on January 6, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 06: Josip Ilicic of Atalanta BC in action during the serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on January 6, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images) /

Josip Ilicic is one of the players that Dortmund will have to be watchful with. Generally, he plays as an attacking midfielder, The Slovenian has found the net 9 times this season. His passing abilities are excellent as well, providing 9 assists to his teammates. Ilicic is good at dribbling and is a key to Atalanta’s set pieces. The midfielder has a very high work rate and does pretty well on defensive duties as well. Dortmund will have to come up with a plan to negate his abilities and stop him from scoring on Thursday.

Last Match

ALTACH, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 01: Christian Pulisic of Dortmund battle for the ball during a friendly match between Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta Bergamo as part of the training camp on August 01, 2017 in Altach, Switzerland. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)
ALTACH, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 01: Christian Pulisic of Dortmund battle for the ball during a friendly match between Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta Bergamo as part of the training camp on August 01, 2017 in Altach, Switzerland. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /

This will be the first competitive meeting between the sides. But they faced each other in a friendly match last summer. In a fixture played in Switzerland, Atalanta came on top with the scoreline reading 1-0. The Black and Yellows only named 15 players for the fixture and were missing some of their key players. Josip IIicic’s 71st-minute strike proved to be the winner for Atalanta in August.

Next: Borussia Dortmund cannot underestimate Atalanta

Possible lineups

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki, Piszczek, Toprak, Sokratis, Toljan, Weigl, Götze, Pulisic, Reus, Schürrle, Batshuayi

Hamburg SV: Berisha, Toloi, Masiello, Palomino, Hateboer, Cristante, de Roon, Spinazzola, Ilicic, Cornelius, Petagna

Final Prediction

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta B.C.

Home/Borussia Dortmund News