We have a blockbuster Champions League match on show on Wednesday night in Dortmund vs Milan as they meet in Group F action from Westfalenstadion. BVB head coach Erdin Terzic is expecting an ‘intense and close game’ in their first European home match of the campaign.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the 2022 World Cup final and the 2023 Champions League final, will be officiating the clash between two European giants in Dortmund and Milan. That gives a nod to the magnitude of this game between the two heavyweights.
The German side were able to qualify from their Champions League group last season but were knocked out at the last 16 by Chelsea. They will have to fare without Jude Bellingham this term after his summer move to Real Madrid. As for visitors Milan, they managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition in 2022/23 but were defeated by rivals Inter. Check out our Dortmund vs Milan preview below.
Dortmund Preview
The lack of Jude Bellingham will be felt hard by Dortmund for many years to come. The Englishman has proven just how good he is after his stellar start to his career in Spain and his departure has significantly weakened the ability of Terzic’s side.
Nevertheless, BVB remain unbeaten across their first six league matches this season. Although, they have dropped points away to the likes of Bochum and Heidenheim so they are clearly lacking in certain departments. Dortmund enter this one on the back of successive Bundesliga triumphs – 1-0 at home to Wolfsburg and 3-1 away to Hoffenheim – so they still have the quality in their ranks to get a result here.
However, they did suffer a 2-0 defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League opener and have failed to really beat anyone of note during the current campaign. There is plenty of improvement ahead. Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi secured the win for the Parisians but Dortmund will welcome a return to their own turf in their second Champions League game of the season as they haven’t lost in North Rhine-Westphalia in over a year.
One To Watch: Marco Reus
The 34-year-old veteran has still been showcasing his ability for Dortmund of late and has scored three goals in his last four appearances. He managed to hit the back of the net in each of his last two successive matches so enters this one in top form. He will be hoping to make the starting line-up after only featuring off the bench against PSG.
Milan Preview
The Rossoneri drew 0-0 at home to Newcastle United in their Champions League opener, despite being on top and having a plethora of chances throughout the match. Last year’s semi-finalists will be searching for their first European victory of the season here. They have been drawn into an incredibly difficult group too which also contains PSG.
In spite of their demeaning 5-1 loss against Inter in the derby match, Milan have looked extremely strong this season. They are actually level on points with the Nerazzurri through the first seven matches and have dropped points in that game alone. Stefano Pioli’s men recorded a 2-0 victory at home to Lazio last time out as former Dortmund man Christian Pulisic opened the scoring.
Heading into this one, the Rossoneri have won their last three consecutive games, conceding just one goal in the process. Milan have conceded just a single goal over their last four in all competitions, proving that their defence is more solid than the 5-1 scoreline against Inter suggested.
One To Watch: Rafael Leao
The Portugal international is one of the most exciting players across Europe and has recently been named as Milan’s September MVP for his performances. Rafael Leao has already contributed to a total of six goals in just seven Serie A appearances this term and he will be the danger man for the Rossoneri over on the left flank. The revamped attacking trio of Leao, Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic has been very successful so far this term.
Head-to-Head
It has been 20 years since Dortmund and Milan met in competitive action. They last did so in this competition back in 2003 as they were drawn together in Group C. Milan recorded a 1-0 win in Germany as Filippo Inzaghi scored the only goal of the match. However, it was Dortmund who secured the triumph at San Siro by the same scoreline.
The two sides also met in the UEFA Cup semi-finals back in 2002. Dortmund ran out 4-0 victors in the home leg and advanced into the final, despite losing 3-1 in the second leg in Milan. Nevertheless, BVB would go on to lose the final against Feyenoord.
Dortmund vs Milan Potential Lineups & Team News
Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel; Julian Ryerson, Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini; Emre Can, Felix Nmecha; Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, Donyell Malen; Niclas Fullkrug
Marcel Sabitzer, Thomas Meunier and Mateu Morey will not be available to feature for the hosts due to injury. However, Terzic is now starting to get close to a full strength side together. Ramy Bensebaini will be able to play, despite picking up a red card last Friday.
Milan (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tommaso Pobega, Yunus Musah, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao
The Milan midfield is looking thin due to injuries to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic and Ismael Bennacer. That means that Tijjani Reijnders will be expected to keep his spot in the middle of the park, with Tommaso Pobega and Yunus Musah coming in. Yacine Adli is also an option since he got the start at the weekend against Lazio.
Mike Maignan returned from injury against the Biancocelesti so he should be good to go again here. The usual back-four should remain too, with Malick Thiaw expected to be reinstated to the defense next to Fikayo Tomori. Fellow defender Mattia Caldara is absent due to an ankle issue, whilst Pierre Kalulu is a doubt after missing the last five outings.
Dortmund vs Milan Prediction
It should be an extremely exciting match between two behemoths of European football. It’s hard to call this one as they both have looked pretty solid of late. BVB are slight favorites and playing in front of the Yellow Wall will give them a huge boost.