Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. PSV Eindhoven - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 March 2024, 01:07
A place in the Champions League quarter-finals is up for grabs as Borussia Dortmund welcome PSV Eindhoven to Westfalenstadion for the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday night.

The tie is finely poised after a 1-1 draw was played out in the first leg in the Netherlands three weeks ago, with Luuk de Jong's second-half penalty cancelling out an early opener from ex-PSV man Donyell Malen.

Match preview

Five days after sharing the spoils with PSV, Dortmund were beaten 3-2 at home to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, but they have since bounced back with consecutive wins away from home against Union Berlin and Werder Bremen.

After securing a routine 2-0 success in Berlin, BVB battled to a 2-1 victory with 10 men against Bremen last weekend courtesy of first-half goals from Malen and Jadon Sancho - the latter netting his first goal since re-joining the club on loan from Manchester United.

The dismissal of Marcel Sabitzer on the stroke of half time allowed Bremen back into the game, with Justin Njinmah reducing the deficit 20 minutes from time, but Dortmund held on to claim all three points and remain fourth in the Bundesliga table, just one point above fifth-placed RB Leipzig with nine games remaining.

Edin Terzic's side now turn their attention to their sixth Champions League knockout campaign in eight seasons, but only once in the last six years have they advanced to the quarter-finals. However, BVB have progressed from their last five knockout ties in the competition when they have avoided defeat in an away first leg.

The German outfit head into Wednesday's second leg following an indifferent run of form on home soil, having come out on top in only four of their last nine matches at Westfalenstadion in all competitions, but they are unbeaten in their last eight Champions League home games, which bodes well ahead of the visit of PSV.

Since drawing the first leg with Dortmund, PSV have accumulated seven points from three Eredivisie fixtures, following up a thumping 7-1 win at PEC Zwolle and 2-2 home draw with Feyenoord with a slender 1-0 victory away against Go Ahead Eagles last weekend.

Sergino Dest scored the only goal of the closely-fought contest in the 10th minute - PSV's 80th top-flight strike in their 25th game of the campaign - to help the Red and Whites preserve their impressive unbeaten league run and maintain their 10-point lead at the summit over second-placed Feyenoord.

PSV's heavy 4-0 loss at Arsenal in the Champions League group stage is one of only two defeats suffered by Peter Bosz's side in 39 matches across all tournaments so far this season, but their resolve is set to be put to the test by Dortmund on Wednesday.

Indeed, PSV travel to Westfalenstadion having failed to win any of their previous 16 visits to Germany in all competitions, losing on 13 occasions; they have lost five of their last six such matches in the Champions League, while their last-ever triumph in Germany was against Eintracht Braunschweig back in December 1977.

PSV did, however, play out a 1-1 draw in their only previous visit to Dortmund back in October 2002, and considering they have won their last three domestic away games by an aggregate score of 13-2, there is reason for Bosz and co to be optimistic of securing their place in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2006-07.

Borussia Dortmund Champions League form:

D

W

W

W

D

D

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

W

D

D

L

W

W

PSV Eindhoven Champions League form:

D

D

W

W

D

D

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

W

W

D

W

D

W

Team News

Borussia Dortmund's only two injury concerns are with attackers Sebastien Haller and Samuel Bamba, who remain sidelined with respective ankle and muscle problems.

Felix Nmecha recovered from a hip injury to make a substitute appearance last time out and the midfielder will be pushing to start on Wednesday ahead of either Sabitzer or Emre Can.

Mats Hummels could replace Niklas Sule and partner Nico Schlotterbeck in central defence, while Karim Adeyemi and Marco Reus are set to battle with Sancho and Julian Brandt for starts in the final third along with Malen, whose first-leg goal made him the first Dutch player to score against a Dutch team in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

As for PSV, Noa Lang is ruled out for an extended period with a hamstring injury, while Joey Veerman and Ismael Saibari, who were both absent from last weekend's win at Go Ahead Eagles, are both doubtful with muscle injuries and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Guus Til, Mauro Junior and Malik Tillman are all options to start in centre-midfield alongside Jerdy Schouten if Veerman and Saibari are not deemed fit to feature.

Tillman, however, could be replaced by star winger Johan Bakayoko, who was rested at the weekend, with the Belgian set to join Hirving Lozano and top scorer De Jong - who has contributed with seven goals and four assists in his last eight appearances - in a three-man attack.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can; Malen, Brandt, Adeyemi; Fullkrug

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Benitez; Teze, Obispo, Boscagli, Dest; Schouten, Til, Junior; Bakayoko, De Jong, Lozano

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 PSV Eindhoven (a.e.t, Borussia Dortmund to win on penalties)

There was little to separate Dortmund and PSV three weeks ago, and another closely-contested encounter could be on the cards on Wednesday between two teams who will be confident in their own abilities to advance to the last eight.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton.