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Preview: Haaland’s former club Dortmund visit Manchester City

Preview: Haaland’s former club Dortmund visit Manchester City

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It’s second in the Premier League against third in the Bundesliga, as Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad in the Champions League on Wednesday.

By Ian King

Manchester City have found their gear-shift, but how one-dimensional is it? 

A win against Bournemouth on Saturday put Manchester City second in the Premier League, albeit six points behind Arsenal. They’ve won four of their last five in the England’s top flight, but that nagging question remains; are they over-reliant on Erling Haaland’s goals now, and what happens to their form, should anything happen to him? 

Borussia Dortmund have only been beaten once in their nine Bundesliga matches so far, but still sit third, behind Bayern Munich – who were, of course, the only team to beat them so far – and second-placed RB Leipzig.

Both teams have taken seven points from their first three matches of the Megagroup league phase, with Dortmund having scored four goals in each of their first three games and Manchester City having scored two in each of theirs. 

City have only lost one in six against Dortmund

There have been six previous meetings between these two sides, all in the Champions League, with three wins for Manchester City, two draws, and just the one win for Dortmund. Neither side has beaten the other by more than a single goal, and all three of City’s wins were by a 2-1 scoreline. The last time they met came in December 2022, when they played out a goalless draw at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League is in sharp contrast to their Bundesliga record

The last time that Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund in October 2022, City won 2-1 and Erling Haaland, who’d made his move to Manchester the previous summer, scored a goal against his former team which was later voted UEFA’s Goal of the Tournament. But in the return match, Haaland was subbed out at half-time and the match ended in a goalless draw. He’s scored 13 of their 20 league goals so far this season, and their second-highest goalscorer is Own Goals, on two.

Haaland’s goal-laden season to date

Dortmund’s main goal threat comes from Serhou Guirassy, who scored the winning goals in their last two Bundesliga triumphs, against Augsburg and 1.FC Köln. Curiously, Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League has been in contrast to their start to their domestic season. They scored three in each of their first two league matches, but have failed to do so since. They’ve only scored three more goals in their nine league matches than they have in their three Champions League matches so far. 

Rumours of Mateo Kovačić’s return from injury turned out to have been greatly exaggerated

It’s all clear on the injuries front for Manchester City, with one significant exception. Mateo Kovačić has only played 45 minutes for City so far this season following an achilles tendon injury during the summer. He was subbed on for the closing minutes of their recent win against Everton, following that up with 33 minutes against Villarreal in this competition. But Pep Guardiola has now confirmed that his injury has flared up again and he’ll be out until the latter stages of the season. 

Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle should both return for Dortmund after missing their 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday night. Schlotterbeck had a cold, while Süle had an issue with one of his toes, but head coach Niko Kovač should be able to welcome him back for this match. 

Dortmund know what threat awaits them, but whether they can do anything about it is another question

There seems to be a viewpoint that Arsenal have already won the Premier League, but whether that turns out to be true or not, Manchester City have a potential issue in chasing them. With 17 goals in 13 games in all competitions, Erling Haaland has become their most important player this season by such a distance that it’s reasonable to ask what might happen should they lose him. 

Against his former club, the expectation that he’ll turn up will be greater than ever. Good job he never seems that bothered by nerves or self-doubt, then. But City’s recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa demonstrated that he can be kept at bay, and if Dortmund can find a way of keeping him quiet, they have a chance. 

But the harsh reality of Dortmund’s position going into this match is that precious few other teams have found a way of keeping him quiet, so the home win feels more likely on this occasion. I’ll go for the teams to reverse their goalscoring tallies in this tournament so far, City to win 4-2, and yet more superlatives to be thrown in the direction of Norway’s favourite son. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Haaland’s former club Dortmund visit Manchester City

It’s second in the Premier League against third in the Bundesliga, as Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad in the Champions League on Wednesday.

By Ian King

Manchester City have found their gear-shift, but how one-dimensional is it? 

A win against Bournemouth on Saturday put Manchester City second in the Premier League, albeit six points behind Arsenal. They’ve won four of their last five in the England’s top flight, but that nagging question remains; are they over-reliant on Erling Haaland’s goals now, and what happens to their form, should anything happen to him? 

Borussia Dortmund have only been beaten once in their nine Bundesliga matches so far, but still sit third, behind Bayern Munich – who were, of course, the only team to beat them so far – and second-placed RB Leipzig.

Both teams have taken seven points from their first three matches of the Megagroup league phase, with Dortmund having scored four goals in each of their first three games and Manchester City having scored two in each of theirs. 

City have only lost one in six against Dortmund

There have been six previous meetings between these two sides, all in the Champions League, with three wins for Manchester City, two draws, and just the one win for Dortmund. Neither side has beaten the other by more than a single goal, and all three of City’s wins were by a 2-1 scoreline. The last time they met came in December 2022, when they played out a goalless draw at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League is in sharp contrast to their Bundesliga record

The last time that Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund in October 2022, City won 2-1 and Erling Haaland, who’d made his move to Manchester the previous summer, scored a goal against his former team which was later voted UEFA’s Goal of the Tournament. But in the return match, Haaland was subbed out at half-time and the match ended in a goalless draw. He’s scored 13 of their 20 league goals so far this season, and their second-highest goalscorer is Own Goals, on two.

Haaland’s goal-laden season to date

Dortmund’s main goal threat comes from Serhou Guirassy, who scored the winning goals in their last two Bundesliga triumphs, against Augsburg and 1.FC Köln. Curiously, Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League has been in contrast to their start to their domestic season. They scored three in each of their first two league matches, but have failed to do so since. They’ve only scored three more goals in their nine league matches than they have in their three Champions League matches so far. 

Rumours of Mateo Kovačić’s return from injury turned out to have been greatly exaggerated

It’s all clear on the injuries front for Manchester City, with one significant exception. Mateo Kovačić has only played 45 minutes for City so far this season following an achilles tendon injury during the summer. He was subbed on for the closing minutes of their recent win against Everton, following that up with 33 minutes against Villarreal in this competition. But Pep Guardiola has now confirmed that his injury has flared up again and he’ll be out until the latter stages of the season. 

Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle should both return for Dortmund after missing their 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday night. Schlotterbeck had a cold, while Süle had an issue with one of his toes, but head coach Niko Kovač should be able to welcome him back for this match. 

Dortmund know what threat awaits them, but whether they can do anything about it is another question

There seems to be a viewpoint that Arsenal have already won the Premier League, but whether that turns out to be true or not, Manchester City have a potential issue in chasing them. With 17 goals in 13 games in all competitions, Erling Haaland has become their most important player this season by such a distance that it’s reasonable to ask what might happen should they lose him. 

Against his former club, the expectation that he’ll turn up will be greater than ever. Good job he never seems that bothered by nerves or self-doubt, then. But City’s recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa demonstrated that he can be kept at bay, and if Dortmund can find a way of keeping him quiet, they have a chance. 

But the harsh reality of Dortmund’s position going into this match is that precious few other teams have found a way of keeping him quiet, so the home win feels more likely on this occasion. I’ll go for the teams to reverse their goalscoring tallies in this tournament so far, City to win 4-2, and yet more superlatives to be thrown in the direction of Norway’s favourite son. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.