Opening
After a lengthy international break, Dortmund are back in the Champions League following their 3-2 victory over Villarreal in their opening fixture. This time, they will travel to Norway to face Bodø/ Glimt on Wednesday. After returning to Bundesliga action last Friday night, the team were unable to come away with a win, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen. This trip to Norway will present challenges that Dortmund need to be ready to face as they look to continue their Champions League campaign.
Despite the result, Dortmund’s performance against Bremen wasn’t necessarily a poor one. Bremen’s defensive approach made it increasingly difficult for our yellow side to score, with Ethan Nwaneri getting denied two chances in the game. We saw a late goal from Bremen in the 88th minute, followed by another in stoppage time, which ultimately cost Dortmund the win. However, BVB remain at the top of the table following their four wins this season and will now be looking to get back to winning ways in Europe.
Following a 5-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, Bodø/ Glimt are still waiting for their first champions league victory of the campaign. However, this time they are playing our German side at their home, Aspmrya Stadium. With a record from last season that included home victories over Manchester City, Sporting CP and Athletico Madrid, Dortmund definitely don’t seem to be in for an easy win today. The Norwegian side have already shown that they can cause problems for some of Europe’s biggest teams, so Dortmund will need to be prepared for a different challenge to the one they faced against Bayern.
Player to Watch: Ethan Nwaneri
Before the international break, we saw a new side to Nwaneri. Coming on in the Villarreal game following Korestas injury, he looked promising and even had a great chance during the game. Over the long international break, his England U21 side won two of their three games, earning them a place at next summer’s U21 Euros.
As mentioned, he also had two great chances in Dortmund’s first game back against Bremen last Friday. Although he couldn’t find the back of the net, his performance was another promising sign. It will be good to see him play in this champions league game, and I’m hoping he can bring the same energy and attacking threat we have seen from him so far.
Predicted Lineup
Kobel
Gadou – Anton – Inácio
Beier – Bellingham – Nmecha – Svensson
Nwaneri – Sabitzer
Guirassy
Score Prediction
I’m going with a 1-2 win for Dortmund on Wednesday. Although we’ve started off the Bundesliga strongly, playing away from home offers another tough challenge, especially against a strong side like Bodø/ Glimt. I would expect Dortmund to create more chances than this, but with the Norwegian side likely to be quite defensive, I don’t expect it to be a particularly high scoring game. I’m hoping Guirassy can continue his Champions League form after scoring against Villarreal while Nwaneri could also be one to watch going forward.
Your Thoughts?
What are your predictions for Wednesdays Champions League clash? Can Dortmund return to winning ways in Norway? Let us know in the comments below!
