Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting CP preview: Team news and predicted lineups
After losing 1-2 to Stuttgart in Niko Kovac's first game in charge, Borussia Dortmund looked to have turned the corner with an impressive 3-0 away win in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie with Sporting CP last week.
However, as so often this season, a good European performance was followed by a poor domestic one, as Dortmund lost 2-0 to relegation-threatened VfL Bochum at the weekend.
Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck warned of a “horror season” ahead if Dortmund don't steady the ship soon.
“It's about doing the basics on the pitch. Taking on duels, going into duels, winning duels. That has to change as quickly as possible. And if we can't do that, then we deserve to be where we are. We have to get it right quickly, otherwise it will be a horror season,” Schlotterbeck said after the loss to Bochum.
The Black and Yellows will now be looking to bounce back, seal a place in the last 16 of the Champions League against Sporting and then turn their attention back to the Bundesliga, where their main concerns lie.
Fortunately for them, things are not going well for Sporting either, with the Portuguese champions now winless in their last three games after a disappointing 2-2 draw with Arouca at the weekend.
In terms of absentees, Felix Nmecha and Filippo Mané remain on the sidelines for Dortmund with long-term injuries, while Ramy Bensebaini could miss out again with the muscle injury that has kept him out of the last two games.
Carney Chukwuemeka, meanwhile, is expected to return to the squad after returning to training on Sunday following a knee problem.
BVB coach Niko Kovac is expected to make changes to his starting line-up after the poor performance against Bochum, with Julian Ryerson and Salih Özcan likely to come into the side at the expense of Niklas Süle and Marcel Sabitzer, who both struggled on Saturday.
Daniel Braganca, Geny Catamo, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Goncalves and Nuno Santos are out for Sporting.
Click here to see our predicted Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting CP lineups.
