Borussia Dortmund will lock horns with FC Barcelona at the Signal Iduna Park as we gear up for the start of the new edition of UEFA Champions League. These two teams haven’t met on a competitive level for a long time, which spices up the encounter even more as Dortmund, second on the Bundesliga table look to gain an early headstart in Group F.
The Black and Yellows are coming on the back of a 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. And here is how they could line up against the Spanish giants on Tuesday.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Manuel Akanji was fit to start against Leverkusen in the last game and will likely to retain his place in the starting lineup. He will be partnered by Mats Hummels at the heart of Dortmund’s four-man backline. Hummels’ vast experience at the highest level of football could be important as the hosts look to keep the Barcelona attack at bay.
Lukasz Piszczek has missed out against Leverkusen and is likely to do the same against the Blaugrana. His lack of pace could have been problematic for a Barca side that boasts the services of Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann. Achraf Hakimi, therefore, will retain his place at right-back. The Moroccan star will be keen on impressing his parent club Real Madrid by delivering a strong performance against Barcelona this week.
Raphael Guerreiro, meanwhile, will continue to deputise for the injured Nico Schulz on the opposite flank. He could, however, become Dortmund’s weak-link at the back due to his lack of defensive work-rate. Roman Burki will retain his place in goal, ahead of Marvin Hitz.
Midfield
Axel Witsel’s return to full fitness has been a huge boost for Lucien Favre. The Belgian will play an integral role in midfield this week, alongside Thomas Delaney. The ex-Werder Bremen midfielder impressed a lot in the win over Leverkusen on the weekend and should start in the double-pivot, ahead of Julian Weigl.
Delaney and Witsel will be tasked to keep tabs on the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in the middle of the park.
Attack
Paco Alcacer will be playing against Barcelona for the first time after leaving the club at the start of last season. He will be keen on making a statement against his former employers. He is in excellent form as well, having netted five goals in four matches in the Bundesliga.
Alcacer will be supported by the creative trio of Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt, who could get the nod ahead of Thorgan Hazard despite a poor performance against Leverkusen.
