Borussia Dortmund will host AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League with both teams looking for their first win. On the opening day of play, Edin Terzic’s team was defeated by Paris Saint-Germain 2-0. The Rossoneri were held to a scoreless draw by Newcastle United as a result of numerous missed opportunities.
Preview (Borussia Dortmund vs. AC Milan)
Niklas Sule’s handball gave Kylian Mbappe the chance to score from 12 yards just four minutes into the second half. Former Dortmund winger Achraf Hakimi handed his former club a 2-0 opening defeat. However, Dortmund welcome Milan to their stadium with just one clean sheet to their name from their last six games. The German giants have allowed just one goal in their last five continental games at Signal Iduna Park. Andrej Kramaric also made the net ripple from 12 yards. Milan had numerous opportunities to win their match against Newcastle. Stefano Pioli’s team was unable to overcome their own wastefulness and the tenacious defense of the Magpies. Nick Pope’s heroics to get off to the best possible start in Europe.
Milan had a total of 25 opportunities, but that was not enough to wear out their English opponents. The Rossoneri have made up for their European missteps at home by winning their past three Serie A games. The San Siro audience saw another scoreless first half during Lazio’s visit on Saturday. Two Rafael Leao cutbacks for Noah Okafor and Christian Pulisic did the damage in the second half. It keeping the Rossoneri level on points with their neighbor Inter Milan at the top.
The only game Pioli’s team hasn’t scored in this season is a 0-0 draw with Newcastle. Pioli’s team has just two goals to show for their last 540 minutes of Champions League play. They haven’t scored in any of their previous three top-tier continental contests. The interesting matchup will be Milan and Dortmund’s first competitive encounter since the 2002–03 group stage. The Rossoneri won 1-0 in Germany courtesy of a goal from Filippo Inzaghi. BVB avenged that loss by the same score at San Siro thanks to Jan Koller.
Team News
While Marcel Sabitzer is recovering from the adductor injury he suffered against PSG, Terzic is optimistic that he will be able to start training this week. However, the visit to Milan may still come too soon for the Austrian, whose spot should be covered for the time being by Salih Ozcan. Emre Can, an ex-Liverpool player who played only the second half against Hoffenheim, will anticipate returning to the engine room with Ozcan.
Speaking of injured former Premier League midfielders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a new signing for Milan, suffered an abdominal injury against Lazio over the weekend and will reportedly miss the Rossoneri’s next two games before the international break. Ismael Bennacer (knee) and Rade Krunic (muscle) are also out of the running due to injuries, thus Loftus-Cheek’s absence makes Pioli’s midfield conundrum more difficult. Due to his weekend goal, Pulisic can feel confident in beating out Samuel Chukwueze to start against his former team on the right flank.
Dortmund hasn’t lost at home since August 2022, and they can keep it going against a Milan club that is now seriously lacking in midfield alternatives at Signal Iduna Park. While making the net rattle at home is never a problem for Pioli’s club, the Rossoneri already struggle to produce prolific attacking performances in the Champions League. Their abilities should dwindle against a Dortmund team that possesses plenty of defensive ability in front of the home fans.
Borussia Dortmund 1 – 0 AC Milan
For more football previews, click here
