After a 4-4 draw in Turin, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to make a statement against Athletic Club in the Champions League. The Black and Yellows are coming off a comfortable 2-0 win in Mainz, whilst Athletic Club are winless in their last five games. Given Dortmund's excellent form, this should be a straightforward win, but as everyone knows, the UCL is anything but straightforward.
Athletic Club lost their Champions League opener 2-0 against Arsenal, managing just two shots on target in the entire game. A key role in all of this is the injury of Nico Williams. With his injury, the creative spark Athletic once had now seems to have dwindled, managing only one goal in their last five games.
Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, has remained undefeated in the Bundesliga over the last six months and has scored 12 goals in its previous five games across all competitions. Niko Kovac seems to have finally given the Black and Yellows some much-needed stability, and they are currently flying high.
This fixture seems to have all of the makings of a magical UCL night in Dortmund, but Athletic Club will be looking to finally get a win in the 25/56 season and spoil the party in Dortmund. Below are some predictions for the game:
Players to Watch
Nico Schlotterbeck and Karim Adeyemi: The return of Schlotterbeck will have Borussia Dortmund more excited than ever for this Champions League fixture. After some shaky moments in Turin for the Dortmund defense, the return of Schlotterbeck should be the real reinforcement Dortmund needs to avoid those moments happening again. Karim Adeyemi has been on fire recently and will look to further his goal tally against Athletic Club. He will look to use his blistering pace to get in behind the defense and create nightmares for the Spanish side.
Mikel Jauregizar and Oihan Sancet: Jauregizar is an integral part of the Spanish side and will look to dominate the midfield against Borussia Dortmund, whilst Athletic Club will hope that Sancet can produce a bit of magic and find the same form he had last season, where he scored 17 goals in 36 games. He will be a massive threat to Dortmund's backline, and is someone that Kovac has surely discussed with the squad multiple times, leading up to this game.
Match Predictions
All signs point towards a victory for Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, but the Black and Yellows won't be able to allow themselves to get complacent in this fixture. Niko Kovac has seemed very positive during the conferences this week, and has also stated that Guirassy should be ready to go against Athletic Club, which will be a huge boost heading into the game on Wednesday. I believe Dortmund will comfortably beat Athletic Club 3-0.