Borussia Dortmund hosts Manchester City in a matchup of two sides destined to finish in the top two of UEFA Champions League group E. So in other words, the two clubs that you would have expected to dominate Group E did in fact excel in the grouping, and they’ll most likely both be advancing on group stage play.
Let’s preview the midweek clash that will see Erling Haaland return to his old stomping grounds, as an opponent, for the very first time.
Manchester City at Borussia Dortmund FYIs
Kick: Tues. Oct 25, 8pm, Signal Iduna Park
Competition: UCL Group E, Matchday 5 of 6
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Starting XI Predictions for both sides: go here
Google Result Probability: Man City 60% Borussia Dortmund 19% Draw 21%
UCL Group Standings: Man City: 1st, 10 pts Borussia Dortmund 2nd, 7 pts
Team News for Both Sides
Haaland will be fit and available of course, but let’s look at the guys who won’t be. Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips remain sidelined for City, with both hoping they’ll recover fast enough to make England’s World Cup squad. John Stones, however, returned to City’s matchday squad this weekend, and he will be hoping to ease into a major role in this clash. Elsewhere though, Sergio Gomez will miss out due to a suspension. He was sent off against Copenhagen in City’s last Euro clash.
Flipping over to BVB, the player brought in to replace Jadon Sancho (who was with City before he went to Dortmund), Donyell Malen, is a doubt after having missed the weekend winner over VfB Stuttgart due to an illness. Ditto for Marco Reus, who was absent cuz of a knock.
BVB has had a pretty long list of injured players this season, and it includes Thomas Meunier, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Mateu Morey, Mahmoud Dahoud and Sebastien Haller. Finally, Salih Ozcan is unavailable for selection as well, given that he is currently suspended for European competition.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.