Borussia Dortmund Vs. Atletico Madrid: Signal Danger From Signal Iduna Park
JAKARTA - Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid will fight back to get a place in the semifinals of the Champions League on Tuesday night, April 17 or Wednesday morning WIB. Atletico had a narrow advantage to defend, having recorded a 2-1 win in the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, in the first leg but this second match was very interesting because it was held at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund lost because they were left behind by two Atletico, from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino who brought the Spanish team in the first leg. But in the second leg BVB promised to perform better at home.
Edin Terzic's side will enter this match after winning 2-1 over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, where those results put them in fifth place in the standings, the same as points as RB Leipzig in fourth place.
Dortmund managed to advance from the last 16 of this competition, with a 3-1 win aggregate, and they also showed impressive performances in the group round. They were able to finish over Paris Saint-Germain to top Group F, and made AC Milan eliminated to the Europa League.
BVB has not surpassed the Champions League quarter-finals since reaching the final in the 2012-13 season, and has finally lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich. They were even knocked out of last season's tournament in the last 16th round of Chelsea.
Atletico had to be more careful because guarantees of a 2-1 win haven't made them safe because BVB away goals can make a difference in the second leg, if the hosts are able to take a narrow lead at home.
Diego Simeone's side have shown impressive responses in their domestic matches in recent weeks. After their 3-0 defeat to Barcelona before the international break, Atletico were able to win their last two league games against Villarreal and Girona on the sidelines of a win over Dortmund.
Atletico beat Girona 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday, and they are in fourth place in the table, five points ahead of Athletic Bilbao in fifth place. The team is very likely to take the top four in La Liga and defend its tradition to the Champions League next season.
Previously, Atletico also defeated Inter Milan impressively in the last 16 of this competition, winning on penalties after both teams drew 2-2 after the second leg.
The capital team is unbeaten in the group round, with 14 points from their six games to top a group involving Lazio, Feyenoord, and Celtic.
But Atletico failed to qualify from last season's Champions League group stage, while they have not gone through the top eight since against Real Madrid in the semifinals again in the 2016-17 season.
For the troops to be deployed, Diego Simeone, head coach of Atletico Madrid, is likely to choose an unchanged team from the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund for the match back in Germany.
But they will lose three players due to injury, because Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, and Marcos Paulo are not available to choose from. Saul Niguez, was forced out in the second half of the match against Girona in La Liga on Saturday, and the Spaniard was most likely also absent.
Pablo Barrios will be back in the squad, after missing against Girona due to accumulation, and there will be some changes in the team that start the final league game.
Jose Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Llorente, Axel Witsel, Samuel Lino, and Alvaro Morata are all predicted to return to the starting XI for matches in Germany.
Antoine Griezmann scored two goals against Girona on Saturday, making sure to start at the front of the pitch.
Mario Hermoso made a comeback from injury in the last game, but he is expected to sit on the bench for the game, where Gimenez, Azpilicueta, and Witsel appear as three defenders.
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Meanwhile Borussia Dortmund hopes to use Jadon Sancho on Tuesday night. The Manchester United loan striker was previously absent against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Bundesliga on Saturday due to illness. But he is expected to return to the squad for this match.
Sebastien Haller, who was injured in the team's last game, is likely to miss Tuesday night. Likewise with Ramy Bensebaini, it must be absent due to a knee problem, but the recovered Donyell Malen will be considered to start playing here.
Malen is the team's top scorer this season with 13 goals, and the 25-year-old can appear in the front row alongside Sancho and Niclas Fullkrug, who have scored 12 goals this season.
Julian Brandt came on as a substitute for the first half against Atletico in the first leg, and now he is trying to get involved in midfield from the first minute of the game.
Marcel Sabitzer and Emre Can will definitely feature in the middle for the home side, while Julian Ryerson, who is the team's best player in the first leg of the quarter-finals, will return to play right-back. Ian Maatsen, a loan defender from Chelsea, will also return to appear as a starter on the left side of the four defenders.
Prakmiraan Lineup:
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson,xides, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Malen
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Azpilicueta; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata