Borussia Dortmund vs. Anderlecht: Issues and Decisions That Will Shape UCL Game

Borussia Dortmund's action-packed pre-winter schedule continues this week when Champions League opponents RSC Anderlecht come to town with the intention of concluding the group stages of the competition. 

Despite their inconsistent run of form back in Germany, Jurgen Klopp's side have taken to European competition like their old self and duly turned over each of their three opponents in the group when it truly mattered. 

The Bundesliga side now sit top of the Group D, having already qualified, with Arsenal a point behind and Anderlecht sitting comfortable and confirmed in third place. 

Here are the key factors to Tuesday night's game. 

Klopp Will Demand Top Spot

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Dortmund may have already qualified for the next round of the Champions League, yet their manager will be well aware of the importance in finishing top of their group and confirming an unseeded opponent in the last 16. 

As things stand Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Porto have all confirmed their top spot and would be avoided should Klopp's team beat Anderlecht on Tuesday night. 

The German side may have to face such opponents at one point in the competition, but you can be sure that Klopp would rather leave it till much later in the competition. 

Anderlecht Are No Pushovers

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

Dortmund may have wrapped up a convincing 3-0 win over Anderlecht in the previous encounter between the two sides in Belgium earlier in the campaign, yet the match was much closer than such a scoreline would suggest. 

Similarly, the Pro League side have shown what they can do in such a competition, with a well-earned 3-3 draw with Arsenal in London and comprehensive win over Galatasaray in their past two games. 

Besnik Hasi's side may have fallen short of qualifying for the next round, but they have secured a Europa League spot and are perfectly capable of offering all sorts of problems for this Dortmund side.

Dortmund Need Some Momentum

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Dortmund may have looked to have turned the corner on Friday with their 1-0 win over Hoffenheim, yet plenty of fans will know that we've been here before. 

The win over Gladbach, the Pokal dismantling of St Pauli, the early wins over Freiburg and Augsburg; each offered an opportunity for Dortmund to push on and pick up some form, yet Klopp's team failed to capitalise on it every single time. 

We've already discussed the long-term benefits of Dortmund picking up a win on Tuesday night, yet the immediate effect it would have on the side is that it would simply build up some momentum and add to that dwindling confidence ahead of their clash with Hertha Berlin on Saturday. 

If Dortmund could only pick up a win over Anderlecht and then Hertha, then we may finally see this club pull out of first gear for the first time this season. 

The Return of the "Fab Four"

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

The "Fab Four"—that's what Dortmund's official website ran with after the club's defensive performance on Friday night. 

Obviously alluding to the fact that Klopp's preferred back line of Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic and Lukasz Piszczek had finally played together for the first time since the 2013 Champions League final in Wembley. 

And it wasn't exactly exaggerated either. With a familiar defensive line, Dortmund looked like a completely different side and—dare we say it—back to their old self at times. They defended, harassed in midfield and created chances up front. They looked like a Klopp side once again and ready to take on any opponent. 

If all four keep their spot on Tuesday, we should expect to see more of the same.