Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Borussia Dortmund host Liverpool in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday at Signal Iduna Park.
The return of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp to the site of so many of his triumphs during a seven-year spell in charge of the Black and Yellows almost overshadows an interesting game.
Presumptive favourites for Europe's lesser competition, Dortmund dismantled FC Porto and Tottenham Hotspur in the knockout phase, beating the Portuguese giants 3-0 and the Premier League title hopefuls 5-1 on aggregate.
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One of the in-form teams in European football, Thursday's hosts have been excellent in 2016:
Liverpool haven't quite enjoyed as much success but "have become stronger in recent weeks," as Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel put it during his press conference on Wednesday, per Alex Richards of the Mirror.
The Merseyside club and Sparta Prague are the only two unbeaten teams in the competition, per Dortmund's official website, but the Reds have only won four of their 10 Europa League matches.
Eliminating Bundesliga side Augsburg 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a questionable spot-kick, Liverpool went on to beat archrivals Manchester United in the round of 16.
Thursday's meeting will be only the fourth in competitive matches between BVB and Liverpool, and the first since 2001.
Dortmund's only victory over the Merseysiders was a historic one: Beating the Reds 2-1 after extra time at Glasgow's Hampden Park in 1966, the Black and Yellows became the first German team to win a European competition, the Cup Winners' Cup.
Date: Thursday, April 7
Time: 8:05 p.m. BST/3:05 p.m. ET/9:05 p.m. local time
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK only)/FS 1 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BT Sport live streaming (UK only)/Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Dortmund | Liverpool |
| Tottenham: Win (3-0) | Crystal Palace: Win (2-1) |
| Mainz: Win (2-0) | Man United: Win (2-0) |
| Tottenham: Win (2-1) | Man United: Draw (1-1) |
| Augsburg: Win (3-1) | Southampton: Loss (3-2) |
| Bremen: Win (3-2) | Tottenham: Draw (1-1) |
Predicted Lineups
Dortmund
Centre-backs Mats Hummels and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan all returned to team training this week after missing the match against Werder Bremen at the weekend.
Gundogan was out for almost a month with a bruised foot and Tuchel said, per Richards, that "it's tight as to whether he'll play."
We think it's likely he'll be in the squad, but a start could come too soon. Gonzalo Castro has done well in his absence and represented his team in Wednesday's press conference, which could be an indicator that his spot in the starting XI is safe.
Captain Hummels will start, leaving a question over who'll be his partner? Sven Bender and Sokratis have both played well next to the Germany international this season. The Greek defender was unavailable for the meeting with his former side Bremen with a stomach bug and might have lost a bit of energy, so the smart bet is on Bender.
Roman Weidenfeller will start in goal, as he's done for all Europa League matches when fully fit. As it stands, Neven Subotic, who'll miss the rest of the season because of a thrombosis in his arm, is the only player to miss the clash due to injury.
Predicted Starting XI: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Bender, Hummels, Schmelzer; Castro, Weigl, Kagawa; Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, Reus.
Liverpool
Roberto Firmino has made the trip to Germany, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. The Brazilian was set to go through a final fitness test in Dortmund on Wednesday evening.
His return to the team could spell trouble for Daniel Sturridge, whose uncharacteristic wastefulness against Spurs at the weekend was a reminder that he's not 100 per cent just yet.
If Firmino is deemed fit enough to start, it wouldn't be surprising to see him lead the line for Liverpool. Even Divock Origi can hope to be preferred to Sturridge.
Other than that, Klopp seems to have found his XI for the time being. However, no fewer than five players—defenders Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne, as well as Brazilians Philippe Coutinho and Firmino—are at risk of missing the return leg should they pick up a booking in Germany, so Klopp could opt to save one or more of them for the home leg. Jon Flanagan, for example, could start at full-back.
Predicted Starting XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Can; Milner, Lallana, Coutinho; Firmino.
Players to Watch
Julian Weigl has taken a big step forward in the absence of Gundogan. The 20-year-old was already one of his side's most consistent performers, and he added another dimension to his game without midfield maestro Gundogan taking on much of the burden in build-up play.
Dribbling out of tight spots with feints more frequently, Weigl's pressing resistance has been impressive. That will be key against Liverpool's aggressiveness.
The Germany under-21 international was arguably the best player on the pitch against Spurs, showing poise and maturity beyond his years.
Per Squawka.com, "Weigl has completed more passes (709) than any other player in the Europa League so far this season," and the video below shows some of that quality:
As for Liverpool, it feels like Coutinho makes or breaks their attack. The Brazilian can score from anywhere on the pitch and seems to only score wonder goals, but his decision-making can be frustrating.
As the graphic in this piece from Ted Knutson for StatsBomb.com shows, Coutinho still takes an inordinate amount of low-percentage shots. All will be well if he scores one of those, seeing as an away goal could be crucial, but Dortmund will know better than to give him too much space as he approaches the 18-yard box.
Key Battles
Henrikh Mkhitaryan vs. Alberto Moreno
Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is arguably Dortmund's player of the season so far. Whether it's scoring himself or assisting others—he's scored 20 and assisted 26 in 44 games across competitions, per Transfermarkt.co.uk—Tuchel can always rely on his No. 10 to produce the goods.
Most often playing from the right wing, Mkhitaryan has at times moved inside in Gundogan's absence. His strong dribbling and feel for timing and spaces has been on display, but his best spot against Liverpool should be out wide.
Up against Moreno, whose strengths lie going forward, Mkhitaryan should have the opportunity to wreak havoc.
Klopp has the advantage of knowing most of Dortmund's players well and will know he can't leave his Spanish defender on an island with Mkhitaryan. With extra resources potentially tied up on that side, however, the Black and Yellows' other attacking players could exploit their matchups.
Liverpool's Pressing vs. Dortmund's Build-Up
Under Klopp, the visitors have regularly looked better against sides who were expected to see the majority of possession, such as when they beat Manchester City 4-1 and 3-0 in the two meetings in the Premier League.
While Liverpool aren't quite at the level Klopp's Dortmund were in terms of pressing intensity, the Reds are aggressive and usually pressure the opponent relatively high up the pitch.
Coping with aggressive opponents was the Black and Yellows' one weak spot during the first half of the year, but Tuchel has managed to suppress their susceptibility in recent months.
However, Liverpool's best chance of scoring against favourites Dortmund could still be hitting them on the break after winning the ball in the build-up phase.
Especially if Gundogan doesn't start the game, expect Klopp to push his team up the pitch.
Odds (via Oddschecker)
Dortmund: 4-7
Draw: 57-17
Liverpool: 23-4
Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
