Champions League
BVB “with a broad chest” to Paris
BVB coach Edin Terzic and his team meet Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the Champions League. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
Sports director Kehl speaks of a “cracking group”, coach Terzic of a “challenge”. Without an improvement, BVB is threatened with elimination in the Champions League. Even the start is tough.
Six games, six finals. For Borussia Dortmund the Champions League a tightrope act from the start. Right at the start of what is probably the most difficult Group F on Tuesday (9 p.m./Amazon Prime), co-favorites for the title Paris Saint-Germain face what is supposed to be the trickiest task.
With all due respect to the star ensemble around Kylian Mbappé and the other opponents Newcastle United and AC Milan, coach Edin Terzic was combative: “This group is a real challenge. But that doesn’t change the fact that we have great ambitions and are in the knockout phase want to move in.”
Just in time for the trip to the French capital, BVB achieved the hoped-for turnaround with a 4-2 win in Freiburg after a bumpy start to the league against Cologne (1-0), Bochum (1-1) and Heidenheim (2-2). But the shaky labor victory was only of limited encouragement. “Finding solutions against a pressing opponent and then, above all, having a certain class and calmness on the ball – that is clearly something that we have to improve on if we want to be a top team,” said veteran Mats Hummels.
PSG not yet in top form
It could help that the opponent is also still looking for form. “Paris certainly expected more,” commented Sebastian Kehl, referring to the 2-3 home defeat for the fifth-place team. Ligue 1 against OGC Nice. Nevertheless, the sports director warned the BVB professionals not to draw the wrong conclusions: “The Champions League stage is a completely different stage. This team competed to win the title. That’s why they have almost 350 million again in the summer euros invested.”
BVB would love to take revenge for the round of 16 knockout against Paris in 2020, when the 2-1 at home was followed by a 0-2 away win in one of the first ghost games of the corona pandemic. Against the opposing offensive, which has been strengthened with the 95 million euro acquisition Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt) and the former Dortmund player Ousmane Dembélé, Dortmund’s defense in particular is likely to play a key role.
“When Mbappé, Kolo Muani and Dembélé play on the offensive, that is an incredible quality,” said club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke to the “Ruhr Nachrichten”. Kehl sees it similarly: “The three fastest strikers in Europe are waiting for us in Paris.” Nevertheless, Watzke made no secret of his expectations shortly after the draw: “To survive in this group, you need extraordinary performances – and that’s exactly what we hope for from our team.”
BVB hopes rest on Füllkrug
After last year’s early round of 16 exit against FC Bayern (0-1/0-2), Paris is making a new attempt to win the trophy. However, the illustrious names in the squad cannot scare Kehl: “We know what to expect. Nevertheless, we are going to Paris with broad chests and want to take something with us.” Captain Emre Can also sees no reason for excessive humility: “We are certainly not a dream opponent for the other teams.”
Niclas Füllkrug’s health progress fuels confidence. The last-minute transfer from Bremen, who missed the DFB team’s most recent international matches against Japan (1:4) and France (2:1) due to thigh problems, came to Freiburg for around half an hour. Terzic left it open whether the 30-year-old national striker would be able to replace Sébastien Haller, who has recently been in poor form, right from the start: “We will see how he reacted to the stress and then make a decision to what extent there is enough for more on Tuesday.”
The expected lineups:
Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez – Ugarte – Zaire-Emery, Vitinha – Dembelé, Kolo Muani, Mbappé
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson, Hummels, Süle, Bensebaini – Sabitzer, Can – Malen, Brandt, Adeyemi – Füllkrug
Referee: Manzano (Spain)