Central Defensive Midfielder: Julian Weigl’s only goal in his career was scored in the Champions League and that too against a Portuguese opposition in the shape of Sporting. The young defensive lynchpin serves as a transition player for Thomas Tuchel’s side. His extraordinary passing accuracy of 91% is enough to justify his role as a midfield hub.
Right Midfield: Ousmane Dembele has been arguably the best Dortmund player this season. The highly rated youngster has settled very quickly to the German Bundesliga.
His amazing close control combined with a killer pace and dribbling skills makes him unplayable at times. Dembele’s individual qualities will be put to test against a sturdy Benfica side.
Central Attacking Midfield (R): Gonzalo Castro was one of many players rested during this week’s Bundesliga fixture against Darmstadt. Despite getting a huge amount of criticism, for his lack of focus or poor passes, the former Leverkusen man continues to be a key part in Thomas Tuchel’s system.
Central Attacking Midfield (L): Mario Gotze was another player getting a breather this week. Even though he has been rather ineffectual since his move back to Dortmund, Gotze is still being identified as a danger man for the opposition. It will be interesting to see how he links up with Marco Reus and Aubameyang.’
Left Midfield: Marco Reus will start as the left winger against Benfica. The German international missed a host of chances against RB Leipzig last week and also against Darmstadt this week. He will be looking to wear his scoring boots ahead of the crucial encounter.
Striker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been one of the most talked about Dortmund player in recent weeks. Not because of his goal scoring attributes, which often puts him in the limelight, but because of the rumor which had spread last week.
The Gabonese International is reportedly looking for a way out of Dortmund and move to Real Madrid. That’s only rumors, though, on the pitch, he will focus on getting the crucial away goal for his side against Benfica.
