The Daily Star Ireland
Dortmund is having a strong start in this new Champions League format. With five matches played, last year’s runner-up has secured four wins and one loss, the defeat coming against Real Madrid, their adversary in the previous final, with a score of 5-2.
This performance places them 4th in the standings, just three points behind leaders Liverpool. With three matches left in the league phase, Borussia is on track to qualify directly for the round of 16. Two weeks ago, they won 3-0 at Dinamo Zagreb and then managed a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga before heading to Mönchengladbach last Saturday. Despite their European success, Dortmund is still finding their footing in the Bundesliga, where they are currently 5th as the first half of the season nears its end.
Barcelona shares a similar record with Dortmund in their European campaign, boasting four wins and one loss. After a narrow 2-1 defeat to Monaco in their opening match, the Blaugrana have dominated their subsequent opponents, defeating Young Boys Bern 5-0, Bayern Munich 4-1, Red Star Belgrade 5-2, and Brest 3-0.
These impressive victories make Hansi Flick’s squad the highest-scoring team in the competition with 18 goals in five matches, averaging over three goals per game. Currently 3rd in the league phase, Barcelona also leads La Liga but has hit a rough patch recently. They lost 2-1 at home to Las Palmas and drew in their following matches against Mallorca and Betis Sevilla before traveling to Dortmund.
Dortmund hopes to have their forward Adeyemi back, who has scored three goals in the Champions League but has been out for two months due to a muscle injury. Defender Süle returned to action following their win in Zagreb, and starting midfielder Brandt, who has two goals and five assists in all competitions, is also expected to be back for the clash against Barcelona.
However, they will miss defensive mainstay Anton. Gittens and Guirassy, who each have four goals in the Champions League, are currently their top scorers in the competition.
Barcelona is dealing with several absences, including central defender Christensen, young midfielder Bernal, and starting goalkeeper ter Stegen, who has been replaced by Peña. They are also likely to miss their first-choice left-back Baldé and forward Fati. On the positive side, central defender Araujo is expected to return after resuming team training. Star striker Lewandowski, who has netted 22 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Champions League, recently scored his 100th Champions League goal against Brest.
Prediction
Dortmund has struggled at home recently, winning only two of their last 14 top-flight matches and losing four of their last six home games. In contrast, Barcelona has won eight of their last 13 Champions League fixtures and has invested heavily in new players this summer.
Prediction: Dortmund 1 : 3 Barcelona
