Borussia Dortmund will travel to Monaco for their second-leg quarter final match, as they hope to reverse the aggregate score of 3-2.
Their previous encounter was marred by a tragic explosion near the team bus of Dortmund, leaving defender Marc Bartra injured. Given the circumstances, Dortmund did bounce back strongly in the second half of the game, and brought down the aggregate goal to 1-0.
Dortmund’s coach Thomas Tuchel did mention that his team was not prepared to play the rescheduled first leg match after the explosion, and that was evident by how shaky the players were. However, in this game, Tuchel’s men will be determined to avenge the injustice as well as the loss against Monaco in the first leg.
Their recent Bundesliga match saw them pull a 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, so it looks like the club is on the right path. Monaco, on the other hand, saw a brilliant performances by Mbappe, and the club will hope the youngster harnesses some of that same energy for this match as well.
The French club did eliminate Manchester City in the previous round on away goals after a 3-1 home win nullified a 5-3 first-leg defeat. Thus, Monaco will be confident to win against Dortmund on their home ground.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Marc Bartra will be out for four weeks as he recovers from his wrist injury, but Marco Reus could start for Dortmund after making his return from injury in the 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Andre Schürrle and Mario Götze, both remain absent
, however.
When it comes to defence, Marc Bartra’s continued absence means that Tuchel is likely to employ a four-man defence, with Sven Bender at centre-back alongside Sokratis, who also found the net against Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, Bender messed up Dortmund’s chances in the first-leg with that unfortunate own goal, and the youngster will have to extra careful and diligent in this game. Also, with attacking midfielder Marco Reus likely to feature in the game, Tuchel will look to employ an aggressive attack plan.
Tuchel’s main concern, however, would be Monaco’s high-speed transition attacks.
Predicted line-up: Bürki – Piszczek, Papastathopoulos, Bender, Schmelzer – Weigl – Dembele, Castro, Guerreiro, Reus – Aubameyang
Monaco
Tiemoue Bakayoko is expected to return from suspension for Monaco, but Fabinho will most likely miss the game after being cautioned back in Dortmund.
Benjamin Mendy, who has been reportedly getting Premier League transfer offers, will also join the squad after missing the first leg. Djibril Sidibe is still hospitalised with appendicitis, which might be a bit problematic for Leonardo Jardim, with three key men missing.
Joao Moutinho, Almamy Toure and Jorge likely to fill in unless the coach opts for a change of formation.
Monaco have a one goal lead in aggregate against Dortmund, and they will be looking to capitalise on the same by perhaps playing a bit defensively, with the occasional attacking purge.
Predicted line-up: Subasic – Toure, Glik, Jemerson, Mendy – Moutinho, Bakayoko – Silva, Lemar – Falcao, Mbappe
Key stats
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has found the net seven times in eight Champions League games this term.
- The Gabon international represented Monaco in the 2010/11 season, scoring two goals in 19 games.
- Christian Pulisic became Dortmund’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer in the last-16 second-leg 4-0 win against Benfica.
- Dortmund boast a positive record in Champions League quarter-finals: W4, L3.
- BVB have only been knocked out once by a French club in a two-legged European tie: against Sochaux in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup second round.
Prediction
Both teams produced plenty of entertainment in their respective victories over Benfica and Manchester City, and that one of them will progress to the semi-finals of Europe’s top competition is good news for a tournament that has been dominated by a small group of elite clubs for quite some time now.
Monaco and Dortmund have several young players, and with the transfer window looming upon us, there will be a lot of scouts at this game for sure.
There will be pressure on both sides, and this game is a tough one to call. Given the circumstances though, the match is likely to be high-scoring, with a 3-1 victory for Dortmund.
