Borussia Dortmund on course to reach UEFA Champions League round of 16
By Sean Findlay
After a rare week without UEFA Champions League football, Borussia Dortmund continue their quest to qualify for the knockout stage this Tuesday when they host Manchester City at the Westfalenstadion.
With the schedule being as compressed as it is – thanks to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next month – you might not be used to such a long break between two Champions League matches. But don’t worry we are going to catch you up and take a closer look into Borussia Dortmund’s previous numbers in the competition.
What’s the situation after four matches?
If you are reading this you probably know that Borussia Dortmund – even after the disappointing performance against Sevilla on matchday four – are still in a very comfortable position to reach the round of 16. Sitting with seven points (2W, 1D, 1L), die Schwarzgelben are currently five points ahead of Sevilla and Copenhagen, but three points behind Manchester City.
All of this means that Borussia Dortmund will at least finish third in the group and therefore at minimum will continue their European campaign in the Europa League after the turn of the year.
How can Borussia Dortmund qualify for the UEFA Champions League round of 16?
With only two more matches to go and a five-point cushion – a draw between FC Copenhagen and Sevilla in the early game would put Borussia Dortmund through to the round of 16 without even kicking a ball.
If Borussia Dortmund are victorious against Manchester City, they will qualify for the knockout rounds, regardless of the result of the Sevilla-Copenhagen clash. A 2-0 win would even put them in the driver’s seat to win the group. As it would give them the better head to head record over Manchester City.
If Edin Terzic’s side only win by one goal on Tuesday, the goal difference would serve as the tie-breaker, which almost certainly would give the English team the edge (Borussia Dortmund are currently at +5 with City at +10).
Both those tie-breakers would only apply if Borussia Dortmund beat Manchester City on Tuesday and both teams finish the group stage with the same number of points.