Club Brugge vs Borussia Dortmund Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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Runners-up in last season’s Champions League, Borussia Dortmund look to go one better this season under new head coach Nuri Sahin and the German giants begin away at Club Brugge.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Wednesday September 18th 2024: UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports 5 / US – CBS Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
CLUB BRUGGE PREVIEW: BELGIAN CHAMPIONS DEALT A TOUGH START
After qualifying automatically for the league phase as Belgian Pro League winners, Club Brugge open their Champions League campaign with a tricky contest against a club they have historically struggled against. However, their home form gives them reason to be confident and they have proven to be good starters in previous Champions League campaigns.
It will be a Club Brugge side different to the one we saw last season with key players Igor Thiago and Antonio Nusa having been sold to Brentford and RB Leipzig respectively, the former for a reported fee of over £30,000,000. Whether this is reflected in their European showings this season remains to be seen, with the performance of their replacements crucial.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND PREVIEW: GERMAN GIANTS STILL UNBEATEN UNDER SAHIN
Borussia Dortmund weren’t expected to make it all the way to the final of last season’s Champions League, but the Bundesliga outfit were brilliant defensively under Edin Terzic and took their chances when they came to overcome the likes of Atletico Madrid and PSG across the knockout stage, booking a showdown with Real Madrid at Wembley. Not taking their chances in the first-half went onto cost them in the final as Los Blancos triumphed by two goals to nil, a sad end to Terzic’s reign as head coach.
After employing former player Nuri Sahin as head coach, Borussia Dortmund have started well domestically, accumulating seven points from a possible nine with the only blot on their copybook being a 0-0 draw away at Werder Bremen, a match which saw Dortmund reduced to ten-men. They have also reached the second-round of the DFB-Pokal.
CLUB BRUGGE TEAM NEWS: GOAL AT WEEKEND COULD EARN START FOR TALBI
Chemsdine Talbi will hope that finding the net against Kortrijk last time out is enough to see him feature in this match, but both Bjorn Maijer and Casper Nielsen will play no part through injury.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Vetlesen; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Talbi; Nilsson
UNAVAILABLE: Meijer (Injured), Nielsen (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
BORUSSIA DORTMUND TEAM NEWS: GROIN INJURY SIDELINES REYNA
Nuri Sahin revealed ahead of Dortmund's last Bundesliga fixture that a groin injury was set to keep USA international Giovanni Reyna out for the foreseeable future. Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck should return to the starting line-up.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Can, Gross; Malen, Brandt, Adeyemi; Guirassy
UNAVAILABLE: Reyna (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
KEY STATS
- Club Brugge are unbeaten in their last nine UEFA competition matches at home (W6 D3).
- Club Brugge are have not lost on Matchday 1 in their last four UEFA Champions League participations (W2 D2). They opened their last UEFA Champions League group stage campaign in 2022/23 with a 1-0 home win against Bayer Leverkusen.
- Club Brugge have won only two of their last 14 UEFA competition matches against German teams (D4 L8).
- Club Brugge have not failed to score in their last 16 UEFA competition matches.
- Borussia Dortmund have won four and drawn one of the last five UEFA competition matches between these two teams.
- Borussia Dortmund won 1-0 in Belgium when these two teams previously met in a UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 fixture in September 2018.
- Borussia Dortmund have not conceded a goal in their last four UEFA competition matches against Club Brugge.
- Borussia Dortmund have won their last four UEFA competition matches away from home against Belgian clubs without conceding a goal.
- Borussia Dortmund have lost only one of their last ten UEFA Champions League group stage matches (W4 D5).
CLUB BRUGGE VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND PREDICTION
To have scored four goals at the weekend will have done Borussia Dortmund’s confidence the world of good, underlining that their defensive efficiency is complemented by a genuine attacking threat. Starting the likes of Adeyemi and Malen worked well and the same combination should cause Club Brugge plenty of problems.
In the end though, it’s the strength-in-depth of this Dortmund side that is likely to prove decisive in a game like this. Being able to call upon such energy and quality from the bench will be worth its weight in gold. Expect Club Brugge to enjoy period of play where they put their opponents under significant pressure, but for the visitors to ultimately come out on top in Belgium.
CLUB BRUGGE VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND TIP: BORUSSIA DORTMUND TO WIN
