Borussia Dortmund travel to Lisbon for the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Sporting CP.
It’s been a whirlwind 2024/25 for both teams, with Sporting CP fading following the departure of Ruben Amorim to Manchester United. The Portuguese champions were primed for a top-eight finish in the league phase table after thumping Manchester City 4-1, but they failed to win any of their final four games and barely scraped into the play-offs as a result.
Amorim’s successor, Joao Pereira, lasted just six weeks in charge and Sporting have been led by Rui Borges since Boxing Day. They’re four points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga.
Niko Kovac oversaw defeat on his managerial bow at Dortmund on Saturday having replaced Nuri Sahin in the dugout. Last season’s finalists endured an up-and-down league phase but victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 8 saw them finish tenth and just outside the automatic qualification spots for the round of 16.
They’ll now do battle with Sporting over two legs in a bid to continue their continental journey.
Ill discipline marred Sporting’s 1-1 draw at Porto late on Friday night, with Ousmane Diomande and Matheus Reis receiving their marching orders in stoppage time. However, the pair are available for Tuesday’s game.
Morten Hjulmand, on the other hand, is suspended after the midfielder picked up his third booking of the competition last time out against Bologna. He’ll be back for the second leg.
Viktor Gyokeres has been nursing a minor injury but should be fine to start on Tuesday, while Nuno Santos, Pedro Goncalves and Joao Simoes are all out injured.
Sporting CP predicted lineup vs Dortmund (4-3-3): Israel; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Braganca, Debast, Morita; Trincao, Gyokeres, Quenda.
January arrival Carney Chukwuemeka took a knock in training after joining on Deadline Day and is a doubt for Tuesday’s game after missing the weekend’s defeat to Stuttgart. Experienced playmaker Julian Brandt will continue to operate as Dortmund’s number ten if the newbie isn’t fit to feature.
Julian Ryerson is available despite picking up two yellow cards on Saturday, while Emre Can continues to be preferred to Niklas Sule at centre-back.
Former Premier League midfielders Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Gross are likely to operate in tandem at the base of Dortmund’s midfield with Felix Nmecha sidelined.
Dortmund predicted lineup vs Sporting CP (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy.
