Introduction
Sevilla has an uphill battle against Dortmund this UCL matchday. Their first leg was exciting, thrilling, and much more. The only thing it lacked was a win. The Lopetegui side will find solace in the fact that they went head to head with Dortmund in a heated clash. Although, many would feel that they had their chances to seal the game. Dortmund goes into this fixture in need of a win with their Bundesliga aspirations recently under dark clouds.
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Why Should You be Watching?
First-round UCL games generally don’t get this ferocious. That being said, these two teams are almost evenly matched in form as well as strength. Haaland perfectly contrasts En Nesyri. Newly appointed Terzic will want to make a statement before Rose steps in but Lopetegui is a gaffer feared by many in Spain. The ex- Madrid coach never quite recovered from the World Cup fiasco with Spain but he has since worked a great shift at Sevilla. A win away from home for Sevilla will be a great injection of enthusiasm but these two sides are too well matched to predict anything.
Build Up
Sevilla come into this game after a La Liga defeat. Before that they had a Copa Del Rey upset against Barcelona. The Spanish side had a 2-0 aggregate lead and blew it 3-0 through extra time. The Catalan club did very well but Sevilla never really looked in control of the game. They will be keen to show everyone their second leg prowess. Their 3-2 aggregate deficit is further worsened by the fact that they conceded 3 away goals at home. Dortmund know that Sevilla need at least 2 goals to win. They might have a more defensive lineup. Although, their defences were severely exploited in their 3-2 defeat to Bayern a few days ago.
Dortmund form: LWWDL
Sevilla form: LLWWW
Head to Head
In their history, these two teams have locked horns only a few times. In the 3 times that they’ve met, Sevilla have won once, Dortmund have won once and one has been a draw.
Team News and Lineups
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund will again be without the services of Axel Witsel and Marcel Schmelzer, while Manuel Akanji is unlikely to be available due to a hamstring problem.
Dortmund suffered a major blow against Bayern when Erling Haaland picked up a knock. However, Edin Terzic has confirmed that he is confident of having the striker available, although the same cannot be said for Jadon Sancho, who is set to miss. Fortunately for the Black and Yellows, they have Thorgan Hazard back from injury, so the Belgian is likely to start alongside Marco Reus and Haland in the Dortmund attack. However, have the likes of Giovanni Reyna, Julian Brandt, and Youssoufa Moukoko as potential alternatives in the final third.
In midfield, Terzic has no reason to tinker with the 4-3-3 setup that has been working wonderfully in recent matches. There could be a change in personnel, though, with Thomas Delaney making way for the more attack-minded Jude Bellingham alongside the in-form Mahmoud Dahoud, while Emre Can operate in the holding midfield slot in absence of Witsel.
The German is also an option in center-back, but with Dan-Axel Zagadou back from injury, Terzic might not want to change anything to his central defensive unit. There will, however, be one change at right-back, with Mateu Morey replacing Thomas Meunier. Raphael Guerreiro, unfortunately, remains a doubt, for now, meaning Nico Schulz is still the favorite at left-back.
Possible Lineup
Hitz
Morey, Hummels, Zagadou, Schulz
Bellingham, Can Dahoud
Reus, Haaland, Hazard
Sevilla
For Sevilla, Aleix Vidal is missing with a hamstring problem, but Jules Kounde and Yassine Bounou should recover from the minor problems that led to them missing out against Elche. Lopetegui is expected to ring the changes from Saturday’s league contest, with Fernando, Diego Carlos, Suso, Joan Jordan, and Marcos Acuna all expected to be on the starting side. There will also be a return of fit-again Lucas Ocampos and he is expected to feature in the starting lineup
For Sevilla Bono set to return in goal. Acuna is set to return in his left-back spot along with Carlos and Kounde and Navas making back 4. Midfield will remain the same as the regulars like Rakitic Jordan will start. However, in the attack Lopetegui has options he either goes with Suso and Gomez or with Munir and fit again Ocampos.
Possible Lineup
Bono
Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna
Jordan, Fernando, Rakitic
Suso, En Nesyri, Ocampos
Players to Watch Out For
Dortmund
Macro Reus
The captain returned despite uncertainty surrounding the stands last matchday vs Bayern. He put in a good shift but ultimately couldn’t get on the scoresheet. If Reus is in form, Sevilla will have a constant attacking threat to deal with.
Haaland
Erling Haaland is the first player to score 18 goals in his first 13 UEFA Champions League appearances. The Norwegian is one goal away from equalling Norway’s all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who netted 19 goals in the competition. At this point, it is perhaps needless to establish that the Borussia Dortmund striker is the man for the big occasion, Haaland scored a brilliant brace just the other day against Bayern. Unfortunately, he was overshadowed by Lewa with a hat trick. Make no mistake though because this young boy is destined for the stars.
Sevilla
En Nesyri
Sevilla’s main man has shone brightly under Lopetegui. He has provided both goals and assists for his team and can surely deliver under the right circumstances. The 23 rd old is Sevilla’s leading goalscorer this season with 17 goals to his name till now. The competitive threat of De Jong substituting him has ultimately proven to be a great motivator.
Bono
Clean sheets have been a much more frequent experience for Sevilla with this Moroccon between the sticks. The Sevilla keeper has had arguably the best run in recent weeks keeping an insane amount of minutes going without conceding. The 29-year-old has been phenomenal and could very well cause problems for Dortmund.
Conclusion
Both teams come into the fixture similarly placed on the table. Moreover, both of them have had recent losses that sting still. This could very well be a mirror match with two essentially similar teams fighting it out. A win here to advance could help them each but there can only be one winner. So who’s it gonna be?
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