Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre will be in immense pressure as his side lock horns with FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. This could be an important game for the Bundesliga giants, knowing a defeat would allow Inter Milan to get the advantage ahead of final matchday. Therefore, they will be eying all three points after initially drawing 0-0 in the reverse fixture.
Here is how Favre’s men could line up against the Spanish champions this week.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Achraf Hakimi started on the bench against Paderborn. He is guaranteed to return to the starting lineup, most possibly replacing Nico Schulz at left-back. That means Lukasz Piszczek is expected to retain his role on the opposite flank. The Pole’s wealth of experience at the highest level of football could be critical as Dortmund look to remain resilient.
Manuel Akanji is also likely to return to the side after being benched against Paderborn. The Swiss international will rejoin Mats Hummels at the heart of Dortmund’s four-man backline. These two were extremely solid in the reverse fixture, denying Barcelona any clear opportunities. And Favre will be hoping for a similar performance this week.
Roman Burki is a guaranteed starter in goal, ahead of Marwin Hitz. The ex-Freiburg man will, however, be expecting a busy evening against the Barca attack.
Midfield
Thomas Delaney has been ruled out for the rest of the year after picking up an injury during the international break. That leaves Favre with only two options in Mahmoud Dahoud and Julian Weigl. We expect the Swiss to opt for the latter, due to his composure in the centre of the park.
Weigl will be partnered by the ever-present figure of Axel Witsel, whose experience and composure will be critical against a talented Barcelona midfield.
Attack
Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho both started in the draw with Paderborn on Friday. And though Favre has other options at his disposal including Raphael Guerreiro and Mario Gotze, those two are guaranteed to start on Wednesday as well.
Reus’ work-rate and leadership will add a new dimension to the Dortmund attack. As for Jadon Sancho, he will once again look to cause problems with his trickery while Julian Brandt, starting as the left-winger, will also look to create chances in the final third.
And finally, the Dortmund attack will be led by Paco Alcacer, who will be keen on making an impression in his return to Camp Nou.
