During Borussia Dortmund’s match at AC Milan, Edin Terzic could have problems with the defense, which has been so strong in the Champions League recently. The coach is confident about his personnel and starting position
Ahead of the game at AC Milan on Tuesday, the starting position is not that complicated, at least initially: With a win, BVB would already be safely qualified for the round of 16. A draw or even a defeat, on the other hand, depending on how the parallel match between last opponents Paris St. Germain and Newcastle goes, could even mean that the final matchday is mathematically highly complex and anything is possible between the Champions League round of 16, spending the winter in the Europa League and a complete exit from the European stage.
“We know the table and of course we’re looking at what’s still possible in this group,” said sporting director Sebastian Kehl as the team departed: “Milan showed in their game against PSG at home that they can be very strong.” Milan won 2:1 against Paris around three weeks ago. “It will be a tight affair,” believes Kehl: “But we have the opportunity to qualify for the round of 16 on our own in the two remaining group games. That’s how we’ll get there.” His coach agrees: “We know the situation is tight, but we have the best starting position. We’ve worked hard for it and we want to make the most of it. “
In recent international matches, BVB have been able to rely on their defense above all: In the most recent three Champions League matches against Milan and twice against Newcastle, Dortmund did not concede a goal – the only time the Black & Yellows have kept four clean sheets in a row was in 2014. BVB can now set this record. The defensive performance will also be crucial in Milan, especially as Dortmund have only managed to score three goals so far. The last team to score so few goals after four matchdays was ZSKA Moscow in 2006/07, when the Russians managed just two
Who plays in central defense?
“In the Champions League, we know that we can’t allow ourselves to make too many mistakes,” says Terzic, explaining the low number of goals conceded: “Apart from the game in Paris, we managed that quite well. The coach believes that his team will also “invest everything to defend the clean sheet on Wednesday.”
Exactly who will do this was still unclear on Monday, however. Niklas Süle did not make the trip due to illness, Nico Schlotterbeck also has a cold and trained individually on Monday evening. If the left-back also misses out, Terzic would have to make changes: “We don’t just have the three guys who can play center-back,” he said: “Emre Can can do that too, Ramy Bensebaini plays inside back four for the national team.” Hendry Blank from the U19s is also likely to be in the squad again.
There are also question marks over other personnel: Sebastien Haller trained with the team again for the first time on Sunday after suffering from flu symptoms, while Karim Adeyemi was back on the pitch on Monday. “We’re assuming that both will be okay,” said Terzic. The coach is also optimistic about Marcel Sabitzer despite a slight thigh problem: “There’s a very good chance he’ll play. “
