Premier class
Bright spot Champions League: BVB hopes for the quarter-finals
BVB wants to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
There is rarely much praise for BVB this season. And if so, then in the Champions League. A place in the quarter-finals seems possible against Eindhoven. Is the quality enough for that?
Already far behind nationally, still on track internationally. For Borussia Dortmund the Champions League the last ray of hope. After a mixed Bundesliga season so far and the early exit from the DFB Cup, the premier class has a great chance of making it to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2021.
But although PSV Eindhoven, coached by former BVB football teacher Peter Bosz, is considered a European lightweight and a feasible task despite all its successes in the Netherlands, many observers only have around 170 points ahead of the first leg of the round of 16 (Tuesday, 9 p.m./Amazon Prime Video). Kilometers away at Philips Stadium, there was skepticism.
The weak performance in the 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg gave little encouragement and raised doubts about Borussia’s suitability for the European football elite. The question about the lack of standard for such high orders made Emre Can boil. “Now please don’t exaggerate. We have the Champions League level 100 percent,” the BVB captain replied to Sky, visibly annoyed. With a determined look, he added: “We’re going there to win.”
PSV dominates the Eredivisie
On the short bus trip to Eindhoven, confidence prevailed. Unlike in the championship, where the gap to leaders Leverkusen is already 17 points, BVB has done impressively in the premier class so far. The so-called hammer group with well-known and financially strong clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United surprisingly finished fourth in the Bundesliga as league leaders. That’s why he can play the second and decisive duel with Eindhoven at home on March 13th.
At least on paper, Eindhoven seems to be the most forgiving opponent of the international season so far. But this appearance is deceptive. After all, PSV is currently dominating the Eredivisie at will and has got an almost optimal 62 points from 22 games with 20 wins and only two draws.
For sports director Sebastian Kehl, who tightened the tone after the 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg and described some professionals as having played an “arrogant game”, this impressive PSV record is warning enough: “We know that Eindhoven is a very strong team. If you are in this If you don’t perform in both games, then you’re out. We need full commitment, full focus.” Defender Nico Schlotterbeck sees it similarly: “If we put our performance on the pitch, we will beat Eindhoven.
Eindhoven is considered a power, especially in its own stadium, and has won 15 of the 17 games across all competitions – with a goal difference of 33:5. The BVB professionals could find out from Donyell Malen how difficult it will be for him to survive in Eindhoven. The Dortmund attacker was under contract with the 24-time Dutch champions between 2017 and 2021 and returned fit in time for the game. “This will of course be special. It feels like a homecoming,” said Malen.
Bosz wants to beat BVB
Seeing Bosz again increases the appeal of the game. Since leaving Dortmund in December 2017 after just half a year, the former Rostock Bundesliga professional has tried his hand at coaching at Leverkusen (2019 to 2021) and Olympique Lyon (2021 to 2022). But the friend of offensive hurray football was not as successful there as in Eindhoven. “This is the best team I’ve ever worked with. And I’ve been doing it for a few years now,” enthused Bosz. There was little sign of excessive anticipation for a duel with his former club: “I wasn’t in Dortmund for that long. I respect the club, but I want to beat them.”
Similar to Bosz, the German-American Malik Tillmann, who was born in Nuremberg, is also hoping for a coup. “I think it could have been worse for BVB – considering the name. But I definitely don’t want to belittle us. Dortmund will see what happens here,” said the former Bayern professional to “Kicker”.
The expected lineups:
PSV Eindhoven: Benitez – Teze, Ramalho, Boscagli, Dest – Schouten, Veerman – Saibari – Bakayoko, Tillman – de Jong
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen – Can, Sabitzer – Malen, Reus, Sancho – Füllkrug
Referee: Srdjan Jovanović (Serbia)