In the opening round of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund travel to Paris to face PSG in a tough first game for the Bundesliga side.
In their opening four Bundesliga games, Dortmund have been underwhelming. They remain unbeaten with two wins and two draws but in all of their games, they have not looked anywhere near a team that should be challenging for the Bundesliga title. Last weekend, BVB avoided their first loss of the season having to come from behind to beat Freiburg 4-2.
Dortmund took the lead through Mats Hummels in the first half but the team turned off just before half time and goals from Lucas Höler and Nicolas Höfler gave Freiburg their lead. In the second half, Donyell Malen continued to be Dortmund’s stand-out player with an equaliser in the 60th minute, before late goals from Hummels and Marco Reus secured Dortmund the three points.
Luckily for Dortmund, they are also facing a PSG team who are still adapting to Luis Enrique’s style of play. At the weekend, PSG lost 3-1 to Nice and currently sit fifth in Ligue 1. However, with the firepower that PSG possess, it will be a very tough and long day for whichever Dortmund defenders start.
Dortmund’s main issue going into this game is their lack of creativity and inability to control a midfield. In their opening games, they are missing a creative spark when attacking as Julian Brandt is not playing at the level he reached last season, while the other attackers have rarely taken up the creative burden. The absence of Jude Bellingham in midfield is being felt as Dortmund are unable to control the midfield. Emre Can has consistently looked out of his depth playing next to Marcel Sabitzer or Felix Nmecha.
Team News
Dortmund are without any major absentees as Niclas Füllkrug, Marius Wolf and Felix Nmecha are all healthy and featured in Dortmund’s win at the weekend.
PSG Predicted XI
Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez – Ugarte – Zaire-Emery, Vitinha – Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe
Borussia Dortmund Predicted XI
Kobel – Wolf, Süle, Hummels, Ryerson – Can, Sabitzer – Malen, Brandt, Adeyemi – Füllkrug
GGFN | Jack Meenan
About Author
