Borussia Dortmund vs Sevilla
Borussia Dortmund will be looking to secure their berth in the Champions League round of 16 when they take on Sevilla in the fourth round at Signal Iduna Park.
Borussia Dortmund’s bid to reach the Champions League knockouts for the fourth time in five years is on point, as last week’s 4-1 demolition of Sevilla in Spain means a victory here will seal their progression beyond Group G. ‘Die Borussen’ will take the field in high spirits after battling back from a 2-0 down to hold arch-rivals Bayern Munich to an enthralling 2-2 draw at the weekend. High scoring has been a common theme in Dortmund’s recent competitive fixtures, as four of the last five have seen both teams scoring in matches garnering over 2.5 total goals. Another action-packed contest is well on the cards, considering Edin Terzic’s men have won their last two Champions League home outings via an aggregate score of 8-0.
In the meantime, Jorge Sampaoli marked his second debut in charge of Sevilla with a 1-1 home draw with Athletic Bilbao at the weekend after former boss Julen Lopetegui was dismissed on the back of Dortmund’s overwhelming win in Andalusia. Winless in five competitive matches on the trot ahead of the kick-off (D3, L2), ‘Los Rojiblancos’ head into this matchday to arrest a three-game winless Champions League start (D1, L2) and hand their stuttering Group G campaign a lifeline. With second-placed Dortmund five points clear, anything other than a victory in Germany could spell the end of Sevilla’s Champions League journey. Unfortunately for Sampaoli, the signs are ominous as his men are winless on their last four European visits to Germany (D3, L1), while they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet for 273 minutes in Champions League football.