Wolfsberger AC vs. Borussia Dortmund: Team News and Predicted Line-Up for BVB

Borussia Dortmund will get down to business on Thursday night when they travel to Austria for the first leg of their Europa League qualifier tie with Wolfsberger AC.

Thomas Tuchel's side have spent much of this summer retraining and preparing themselves for a tough campaign, yet this coming clash with their Austrian opponents is one that the Bundesliga side are expected to win handsomely. 

The Europa League may not rank very highly on most modern football fan's list of priorities, but a vivid European campaign will undoubtedly be a yard stick for which fans and critics alike will determine Tuchel's success this season. 

A strong performance in Austria is needed to get Dortmund off on the right foot for this coming season. 

Date: Thursday, July 30

Time: 19:05 p.m. BST/14:05 a.m. ET

Venue: Lavanttal Arena, Austria

Predicted Lineup

Shuji Kajiyama/Associated Press

Tuchel will be without Neven Subotic and Erik Durm for Thursday's match, meaning we'll most likely see Dortmund's defensive unit line up with Lukasz Piszczek at right-back, Marcel Schmelzer at left-back and Mats Hummels and Sokratis Papastathopoulos taking up the two central defender roles. Roman Burki will most likely be between the posts. 

The midfield trio for this coming clash will most certainly feature Ilkay Gundogan and Shinji Kagawa, with either Sven Bender or Julian Weigl playing the defensive role—most likely the former, more experienced midfielder. 

In attack we'll see Marco Reus take up his role on the left while Henrikh Mkhitaryan occupies the right-hand wing and looks to cut inside. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should find himself once again playing as the lone striker. 

Key Player

Dortmund will need a strong collective performance from the entire team on Thursday if they are to leave Austria with a win and without a scratch, yet such European ties are where Reus truly thrives. 

The left-sided forward will be expected to put the Wolfsberger defence to the test and pick up a couple of goals or assists to kill off the tie before it even gets started. Reus is Dortmund's best player and will undoubtedly be hoping to start the new season with a bang.