Sevilla FC vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Team news and possible lineups
In a match we’ll be covering live from the Ramón Sánchez Pijzuan, the BVB are looking forward to forgetting a harsh defeat against neighbors FC Köln with a win against crisis-hit Sevilla.
Sevilla FC, on the other hand, are looking to hold on to what they can after their disastrous start of the season and damage control in what is likely going to be Julen Lopetegui’s last match with Los Hispalenses.
Borussia Dortmund
Die Schwarzgelben arrive in Sevilla with the same mixed feelings they’ve had throughout the start of the campaign.
Their defeat at Köln showed Dortmund still have their weaknesses, suffering from irregular performances as a consequence. The team has glances of great football, but seem to simply lose focus at other times.
Edin Terzić has shown a strong idea of what he wants for the club, but the players seem to still be absorbing their roles. The team struggles to create clear chances regularly, looking blocked at times offensively.
But it's in defence that Dortmund have had the biggest problems. They can defend great for a whole hour, only to throw it away with mistakes moments later.
Their amount of injuries has certainly not helped, but nonetheless, the team still raises some eyebrows.
Speaking of injuries, BVB will not be able to count on Marco Reus, who still is recovering from the injury sustained against Schalke, Mats Hummels (cold), Marius Wolf (circulation problems), and Giovanni Reyna (knock).
Despite travelling with the team, Gregor Kobel has also been ruled out of the match.
Sevilla FC
The tides are heavy at Nervión.
Sevilla's worst start of a season in decades has sentenced Julen Lopetegui and has produced an eruption of critics from the fans towards the directive board and the coach.
It's expected to be the Spaniard's last game in charge, with the sole reason for him not being fired earlier said to be a pending agreement with his substitute.
Jorge Sampaoli has been selected as his successor, but he will only travel to Sevilla on Thursday, which is why Lopetegui will be sitting on the bench against BVB.
The bad planning of the summer transfers did not help the Spanish coach either, as Sevilla's reinforcements have not worked out well, with some of them yet to play.
As a result, Sevilla FC are the oldest team in the top 5 leagues in Europe on average, and are the 6-time Europa League winners are just a shadow of themselves.
They are currently sitting just one point ahead of relegation in a season where the objective has changed from competing for the top places to ensuring survival.
Possible Tactics
Despite both teams being very ball-dominant, we should not expect a battle for the possession of the ball.
Sevilla have lacked intensity and rhythm throughout the campaign, not being able to press good enough to recover the ball quickly.
Lopetegui will probably elect to sit a bit further back to minimize the threat of the BVB running behind Sevilla’s defensive line, their weakest link.
Dolberg’s presence at the number 9 position seems clear as he has improved the team's performances, especially when connecting with the midfielders and attacking the spaces, as the Danish striker is a more technical player than Mir and En-Nesyri.
Rakitic will probably start after being used as a substitute on the weekend, while former Dortmund player Thomas Delaney also has a good chance of starting against his old club.
On the other hand, Edin Terzić will go with the idea of reinforcing the confidence in his strategy after Saturday’s loss.
With Wolf’s absence and Adeyemi’s still working to find his top form after a spell on the sidelines, Thorgan Hazard might make his first start since returning from injury.
The rest of the squad should be very similar to the one that played on the weekend.
Dortmund will look to control the game with the ball and dictate the game’s intensity and pace.
The game through the flanks will be key to feed Anthony Modeste with crosses and stretch the defence to attack down the middle.
Guerreiro’s and Meunier's overlaps with Malen cutting in will produce headaches for Los Hispalenses’ defense.
Borussia Dortmund are the heavy favourites for this clash and they can not let this one slip against the worst Sevilla team in many years.
They have to take advantage of the almost certain defeat Copenhagen will suffer against Manchester City with the target of running away with the second place in the group.
Wait for our match report straight from the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán after the final whistle tonight.
Check out our predicted lineups here.
