Breaking down Dortmund’s Champions League group: Can we have high hopes?

The Champions League is finally back this week, and Borussia Dortmund was relatively lucky in the group stage draw. It could have been worse, but the fans will now expect more after a disappointing international campaign last season. 

The 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League draw selected Manchester City, Sevilla, and F.C. Copenhagen as Dortmund’s opponents in Group G. In this year’s draw, Borussia was relegated from pot 2 to pot 3 due to a frustrating participation in the previous European competitions.

During the last UCL run, the Black-and-Yellow got third place in a winnable group with Ajax, Sporting Lisbon, and Beşiktaş. After being prematurely eliminated from the group stage, the 6-4 aggregate defeat to Rangers in the Europa League’s knockout round playoffs also frustrated our plans.

As a result of poor performances in the past season, Dortmund risked not only getting a championship-caliber team from pot 1 but also strong sides from pot 2, like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Barcelona. That fear became a reality when the English champions were the first seed in Dortmund’s group. Luckily, one of the least dangerous teams in Sevilla became the second seed, followed by us in third and  Danish club F.C. Copenhagen in fourth.

The group, in reality, could have been way more complicated than it actually is. Considering that the Citizens are the favorites to take first place, it is up to Dortmund to fight Sevilla for the second spot in the round of 16, while F.C. Copenhagen will be the underdogs. It might seem like a good scenario for Reus & CO., but each match will be tougher than they appear. Here we break down Dortmund’s three opponents, taking a closer look into all the challenges we will have to face in order to qualify.