On Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, will kick off their new Champions League campaign against Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium. Dortmund came agonizingly close to winning the Champions League last term but fell just short at Wembley, where Real Madrid denied them.
Club Brugge vs Borussia Dortmund: Preview
Despite impressive victories in Newcastle, Milan, and Paris, Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga, Dortmund’s worst domestic result since 2015. However, thanks to their strong European run, they are back in the Champions League for the ninth consecutive season.
New head coach Nuri Sahin, who took over from Edin Terzic this summer, will be the youngest manager in this year’s tournament at 36. Sahin has started his tenure well, with Dortmund winning two and drawing one of their first three games, including a 4-2 victory over Heidenheim where Karim Adeyemi scored twice.
Match Details
Match: Borussia Dortmund @ Brugge
Date & Time: Sep 18, 2024 at 8 pm UK
Stadium: Jan Breydelstadion
Team News, Stats & Head-to-Head
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund will face Club Brugge for the third time in seven seasons. Historically, Dortmund has performed well against Brugge, winning four of their six encounters and securing victory in their last four visits to Belgium without conceding. Despite changes in the Champions League format, Brugge remains a regular fixture at this stage, having qualified for the competition six times in the last seven seasons.
Dortmund’s squad includes new signing Serhou Guirassy, who made his first start for the club after recovering from a knee injury. Karim Adeyemi has been in excellent form, scoring five goals in two games for Germany Under-21s and adding a Bundesliga brace. Brazilian winger Yan Couto, returning from injury, and possibly Gio Reyna, who has a groin issue, will be factors to consider.
Club Brugge
Brugge missed out on European competition last season but reached the knockout stages the previous year, only to be eliminated by Benfica. This season, Brugge faces a tough group, including AC Milan and Manchester City. They hope to replicate their strong performance from the Europa Conference League last season, where they advanced to the semi-finals after a successful group stage and knockout rounds.
Brugge, who won the Belgian Pro League last season, is currently top of the league under permanent coach Nicky Hayen. They have won four of their first seven matches this season, including a 3-0 victory over Kortrijk, with Hans Vanaken scoring twice.
For Brugge, Andreas Skov Olsen leads the team in goals this season with three, while Chemsdine Talbi scored as a substitute recently. Captain Hans Vanaken, Brugge’s most experienced Champions League player, was pivotal in their Europa Conference League run last term.
Head-to-Head
In the last five meetings, Borussia Dortmund has emerged out to be the winners of 3 matches whereas Brugge won only 1 of them. 1 match was drawn with a scoreline of 1-1. Club Brugge will enter this match with a determined mindset of unbalancing these statistics.
Possible Starting XI
Club Brugge: Mignolet; Seys, Mechele, Ordonez, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Vetlesen; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Nilsson
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Sule, Bensebaini; Can, Gross; Sabitzer, Brandt, Adeyemi; Guirassy
Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund: Prediction
Borussia Dortmund enters this match being the clear favorite to win. Club Brugge will try to stay solid defensively against the yellow shirts and will want to capitalize on every attack possible. However, it will be firmly predicted that Dortmund won’t bottle away the match.
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