Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to stretch their winning run to four matches in a row this season as they welcome Villarreal for their first UEFA Champions League game of the campaign on Tuesday at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund arrive in strong shape, having won their last three outings. Under Niko Kovač, they have settled quickly after an early loss in the German Supercup. They followed that with a neat 2-0 win against Hamburger SV, then dominated the DFB-Pokal with a 5-0 success, and most recently showed character by coming from behind to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in a lively contest. Their attackers have been especially sharp, netting 16 goals over their previous six games.
Borussia Dortmund team news
Despite the positive run, Kovač must deal with a serious shortage of defenders for this opener.
Young centre-back Filippo Mané is out after picking up a thigh problem in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Hoffenheim.
The back line is also weakened by suspensions: Ramy Bensebaini is missing because of a red card carried over from last season, and Nico Schlotterbeck is banned while he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
Long-term absentees add to the list, with club captain Emre Can and summer arrival Giannis Konstantelias still sidelined by serious knee and ACL injuries, and Justin Lerma unavailable due to a muscle issue.
On a brighter note, Daniel Svensson and Konstantinos Karetsas are fully fit and in contention, even though they skipped Monday’s training as a precaution for workload management. Waldemar Anton is expected to lead a reshaped three-man defence in front of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup
Possible Borussia Dortmund starting XI: Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Svensson; Ryerson, Nmecha, Bellingham, Beier; Karetsas, Sabitzer; Guirassy
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday, 8th September.
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal?
In the United Kingdom, the Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal Champions League fixture will be shown live on TNT Sports 2.
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