Razor-Thin Borussia Dortmund Likely Have to Experiment in Big Spot vs. Sporting

When Borussia Dortmund left-back Marcel Schmelzer exited the pitch in the 71st minute of Friday's Bundesliga match against Hertha BSC, the team captain joined a long list of injured players.

The 28-year-old suffered a torn adductor fibres in the 1-1 draw, per the club's official website, and will miss about two weeks. He will miss crucial games across all competitions, much like key players such as Sven Bender and Marco Reus, who have been out the entire season so far, and midfielders Gonzalo Castro, Raphael Guerreiro and Andre Schurrle.

Dortmund's troubles could not have come at a worse time, with the Black and Yellows having to play six games in a span of 19 days, among them the Revierderby against local rivals Schalke 04 and the second-round DFB-Pokal tie against Union Berlin. Most importantly, perhaps, the Ruhr side will face Sporting CP twice in that period.

The two UEFA Champions League matches are hugely important, seeing as the two sides are widely expected to compete for second spot in Group F, with Real Madrid overwhelming favourites to finish first.

TF-Images/Getty Images

Dortmund lead the group thanks to their goal difference after a 6-0 beatdown of Legia Warsaw on Matchday 1, but Los Blancos get the Polish champions twice in a row, and it would be little short of a miracle if they didn't come out of the two meetings with six points.

Assuming neither Sporting nor Dortmund drop points against Legia, either—which does not feel like a huge stretch given the Poles' showings so far—the two matchups between the teams will likely decide which one of them gets a spot in the next round.

"The games against Lisbon are hugely important in determining the final standings in the group," sporting director Michael Zorc told the club's website. "A lot will depend on our head-to-head record."

The Leoes have the luxury of facing Legia on the sixth and final matchday in December, while the Black and Yellows have to travel to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Dortmund will hope they will not need a result from that game, and in order for that to be the case, they probably need at least four points from their meetings with Sporting. Considering their personnel situation, a draw at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday would have to be seen as a brilliant result.

Sporting have a superb record at home, having won nine straight contests in front of their own fans and lost only three home matches since Jorge Jesus took over as head coach in the summer of 2015.

Dortmund, on the other hand, have won six of their nine away matches in European competitions under Thomas Tuchel but are winless in three games: a late 2-2 draw with Real, a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen and the Hertha match on Friday.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

The latter two matches exposed some deeply rooted flaws in the team's play, as both Leverkusen and Berlin successfully managed to stifle Dortmund's dangerous attack for large portions of the 90 minutes.

In light of the large number of injuries in midfield, Tuchel put trust in summer signings Sebastian Rode and Mario Gotze, with both former Bayern Munich players comprehensively disappointing, as detailed in an earlier piece.

Given their struggles and Shinji Kagawa's much more inspired performance off the bench, it seems likely the Japan international will replace one of the two—Gotze is more important for Dortmund's structure and has played well in the Champions League, but a starting XI with him and Kagawa could be deemed too adventurous away from home.

After changing the game from the bench, French starlet Ousmane Dembele, who got the vital assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Friday, will probably replace Emre Mor in the starting lineup. The bigger questions lie in defence, however.

Dortmund are razor-thin in the back line.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

With Schmelzer and Guerreiro missing through injuries and Joo-Ho Park omitted from the 25-man Champions League squad, Tuchel has no left-backs at his disposal. Felix Passlack seems like the most logical solution, moving over from the right side of defence, but the 18-year-old is not only untested at the continental level but may well be needed on the right.

Lukasz Piszczek made the trip to Lisbon, per local writer Daniel Berg, but it remains doubtful that he can play after suffering knee problems following the international break.

If the Poland international can not start, Dortmund will be left with Passlack as the only full-back in the squad. Tuchel would likely have to play Rode at right-back, where the 26-year-old last started a game for Bayern in April 2015, per Transfermarkt.

The alternative would be a senior debut for Dzenis Burnic, an 18-year-old midfielder Tuchel used at centre-back in pre-season. The Germany youth international has played at left-back for his country, but starting him in the Champions League in his first professional match seems like too big a risk. 

At centre-back, Sokratis Papastathopoulos made the trip, but it seems like a long shot that he will play after suffering a muscle injury on international duty with Greece. Marc Bartra only made the bench against Hertha after overcoming his own muscle injury and is set to return, however.

One possible solution to Dortmund's lack of depth at the full-back spots would have been to play with three at the back, but Mikel Merino, who debuted on Friday in central defence, was also not included in the Champions League squad.

It's not out of question that Tuchel will go with three centre-backs regardless, though, especially if one of Sokratis and Piszczek is fit to start the match. Passlack and Rode, or perhaps even Dembele, could then play as wing-backs to give important width.

This solution could also help Dortmund in the buildup phase, during which they've struggled greatly at times this season. Too often, they've lacked penetration into the final third, with opponents ceding possession deep in the Black and Yellows' territory and engaging them only around the halfway line.

TF-Images/Getty Images

Having more players to take some of the burden of initiating play off Julian Weigl's shoulders could be a good idea, and central defenders Bartra and Matthias Ginter have showed they can pick a good pass to break defensive lines.

Ginter is perhaps the biggest positive from the recent run of games. The former Freiburg man has profited greatly from his first extended run at his natural position in Dortmund colours, having never started more than two games in a row in the heart of defence in either of his two first seasons at Westfalenstadion, per Transfermarkt.

Still only 22 years of age, this campaign could be shaping up to be something of a breakout year for the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner. Dortmund need another strong performance from Ginter against Sporting, with their depth, supposed to be the big strength at the start of the season, depleted ahead of a huge match.

Lars Pollmann also writes for The Yellow Wall. You can follow him on Twitter.