Borussia Dortmund will host PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of the quarterfinals in the UEFA Champions League. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in the Netherlands three weeks ago, where Luuk de Jong’s penalty in the second half cancelled out an early goal by former PSV player Donyell Malen, the tie is now evenly balanced.
Preview (Borussia Dortmund vs. PSV Eindhoven)
Dortmund was defeated 3-2 at home by Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga five days after splitting the points with PSV. However, they have since recovered with back-to-back victories away from home against Werder Bremen and Union Berlin. Following a comfortable 2-0 victory in Berlin, BVB overcame Bremen last weekend with 10 men thanks to goals in the first half from Malen and Jadon Sancho, the latter of whom scored his first goal since returning to the team on loan from Manchester United.
Marcel Sabitzer’s dismissal on the brink of halftime gave Bremen a chance to rally. Justin Njinmah cut the deficit twenty minutes from the end. However, Dortmund held on to take all three points and maintain their fourth-place standing in the Bundesliga. With nine games remaining, just one point ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig. The team led by Edin Terzic will now focus on their sixth Champions League knockout campaign in eight years. They have only made it to the quarterfinals once in the previous six years. But in their last five knockout matches in the competition, BVB has advanced when they have managed to win the opening leg away from home.
The German team has had a mixed record at home, winning just four of their previous nine games at Westfalenstadion across all competitions. However, they have gone undefeated in their last eight home games in the Champions League, which is encouraging going into PSV’s visit. Following a resounding 7-1 victory against PEC Zwolle and a 2-2 home draw with Feyenoord, PSV has amassed seven points from three Eredivisie games since drawing the first leg with Dortmund. Last Saturday, they narrowly defeated Go Ahead Eagles 1-0 away.
Team News
The only two injuries that Borussia Dortmund has to worry about are with their forwards. Samuel Bamba and Sebastian Haller, are both still out due to ankle and muscular issues. Felix Nmecha, a midfielder, is hoping to start on Wednesday ahead of either Sabitzer or Emre Can after recovering from a hip injury to make a substitute appearance the previous time out. In central defense, Mats Hummels may take Niklas Sule’s place and partner with Nico Schlotterbeck. Meanwhile, Malen, who became the first Dutch player to score against a Dutch team in the Champions League knockout stages, is expected to face off against Sancho and Julian Brandt for the starting position in the final third alongside Karim Adeyemi and Marco Reus.
PSV’s Noa Lang is out for a lengthy amount of time due to a hamstring injury. Joel Saibari and Joey Veerman missed the team’s victory over the Go-Ahead Eagles the previous weekend. They are both questionable due to muscle ailments. The Belgian will play in a three-man attack with top scorer De Jong and veteran Hirving Lozano. The latter has seven goals and four assists in his previous eight games.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 PSV Eindhoven
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