Borussia Dortmund are in action away to Sabah FK in the Champions League tonight. The pressure is firmly on them to deliver after three winless games in a row as their season appears to be unraveling sooner than expected. However, all's not lost yet. Dortmund still have enough opportunities to get back on track and make up for their earlier slip-ups. But for that, head coach Niko Kovac should be making a few changes to his XI. Here are the top three:
1) Start Guirassy up top
Yes, he's on a dry spell right now. But Serhou Guirassy is also the only out-and-out striker in the squad and offers a degree of attacking menace like no one else. Kovac started Fabio Silva as their main striker in Norway and it backfired spectacularly.
The Portuguese is not a natural goalscorer like his Guinean counterpart, who has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome penalty-box strikers with his excellent positioning, devastating finishing and incisive runs into the area.
It's no coincidence that Dortmund looked more dangerous going forward after Guirassy was subbed in during the Bodo/Glimt clash (along with a few other subs). Also, he mustered one shot in the match, while Silva, despite playing for an hour, didn't get a single one.
2) Play Silva and Beier as the two attacking mids
Last time out in the Champions League, two 18-year-olds, Konstantinos Karetsas and Samuele Inacio started behind Fabio Silva in a move which caught fans by surprise. Hopefully, the defeat has taught Kovac a lesson and he'd be wiser to play Fabio Silva and Maximilian Beier off lone striker Guirassy.
As we've seen already this season, Silva and Guirassy together are a fearsome strike force. They understand each other well and look out for each other in attacking moments. If started together again, Silva could combine with Guirassy to create chances whilst also linking midfield and attack.
As for Beier, the German could attack the spaces in behind from the right with his incisive runs, while his crossing ability can provide a more direct attacking threat too. Together, Silva and Beier could save Guirassy the pain of having to deal with centre-backs himself.
3) Start Joey Veerman
Another strange decision by Kovac at the weekend was his refusal to bring on Joey Veerman when Dortmund were struggling to break down Union Berlin's valiant defense. The Dutchman's abilities to dictate tempo from the deep and make line-breaking passes are precisely useful against teams employing a low-block.
Sabah FK could be looking to frustrate Dortmund by sitting deep and Veerman's presence would be vital in bypassing it's midfield. He can release attackers in dangerous spaces with one incisive through ball, creating a chance for them without having to rely on crosses.
Alternatively, the 27-year-old also excels at switching plays out wide by quickly sending the ball to the flanks, allowing the full-backs to then drive forward in the half-spaces. Veerman is also a dead-ball specialist, having bagged a couple of assists for club and country with his splendid corner deliveries, opening up another avenue for goals for the BVB.
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