5 reasons why Borussia Dortmund will progress against Lille in the UEFA Champions League
Following Borussia Dortmund's 1-1 draw at home to Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, bundesliga.com takes you through five reasons Niko Kovač's men can topple the French outfit and reach the quarter-finals.
Follow the second leg in France HERE!
1) Guided by Guirassy's goals
Rubbing shoulders with strikers of Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland's immense pedigree is not something to be overlooked for any centre-forward, yet Serhou Guirassy has certainly managed that for the Black-Yellows in the Champions League this season. Scoring in the first leg of the knockout phase play-off against Sporting Lisbon to take his campaign tally to 10, the outright leading goalscorer in the competition became only the third ever Dortmund player to register double figures of goals in a Champions League campaign.
Domestically too, Guirassy has been in fine form of late, scoring four goals in the 6-0 demolition job of Union Berlin on Matchday 23, which he then supplemented with another goal in a hard-fought 2-0 victory over St. Pauli on Matchday 24. With 14 goals in 22 Bundesliga appearances and 10 goals in 11 in the Champions League, you wouldn't bet against the Guinean proving to be the difference for his side once again in France on Wednesday.
Watch: Guirassy's goals and assists for Dortmund
2) Starting to click under Kovač
Kovač may have had a rocky start to life at Dortmund's helm, losing his opening two Bundesliga games in charge, but things appear to be turning a corner under the Croatian. Three points on Matchday 24 meant that Dortmund registered consecutive Bundesliga victories for the first time all season (6-0 vs. Union, 2-0 vs. St. Pauli).
In Europe too, Kovač comfortably won the two-legged knockout play-off against Sporting (3-0 on aggregate), keeping clean sheets over both legs, and could have made sure of a first-leg win at home to Lille had Pascal Groß's goal not been ruled out for offisde. Karim Adeyemi had gotten the ball rolling with a picture-perfect half-volley into the bottom corner and Lille had to battle extremly hard to pull one back through Hákon Haraldsson - with their very first on-target shot of the match.
Kovač's changes to Nuri Şahin's system have been received well by his players. Groß has notably played with added freedom, grabbing headlines against Union as he became the first German top-flight player in five years to register four assists in one game. Ramy Bensebaini, speaking with bundesliga.com of his new boss, revealed: "We’re training harder, and he wants us to press as high up the pitch as possible and recover the ball quickly when we lose it. Everyone has to work for each other and for the team."
Watch: Chase is on for Dortmund
Want more Bundesliga Action?
3) Fine fettle against the French
The Black & Yellows have often enjoyed success on both sides of the border against their French neighbours. In all 27 previous meetings with French teams in European competition, Dortmund can boast 11 wins, seven draws, and nine defeats.
Interestingly, before the first leg against Lille on Tuesday, BVB's previous six games against French opponents had all involved Paris Saint-Germain, including four meetings last season, with the Ruhr club winning both semi-final legs 1-0 to eliminate the Parisians from the 2023/24 instalment of the competition. Additionally, Dortmund's record in two-legged ties against French clubs is four wins and three losses.
By contrast, Lille have struggled against German sides on the rarer occasions they have faced them. In 12 meetings, they have recorded two wins, five draws and five defeats. To add to this somewhat unflattering record, Lille have also never won a Champions League knockout tie before.
4) Knockout round pedigree
Standard footballing wisdom would have you believe that a side that draws the first leg at home will be the underdogs in the return leg, but BVB are no standard Champions League side. Indeed, Dortmund have advanced in all four previous Champions League knockout ties where honours were even in the first leg.
The last such occasion was against PSV Eindhoven last season, when Edin Terzic's side drew 1-1 in the Netherlands before club legend Marco Reus struck in injury time to stitch up a 2-0 return leg win in front of the Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park. Similarly, Kovač's men did all the damage away from home as they brushed past Sporting in February, which is exactly the task that awaits them as the return leg at Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy looms next Wednesday night.
Add to this Lille's European inexperience and you have a recipe for the Black & Yellows to book their place in the quarter-finals, where the winner of Benfica and Barcelona will be waiting for them.
5) Purpose-built cup side
Dortmund may not be in the contention for the Bundesliga title this season, but that could play into their hands in Europe as it allows them to focus on their Champions League campaign. After all, they proved this last season, finishing fifth domestically but making it all the way to the Champions League final. They didn't have a straightforward path to the continental showdown either, having to knockout PSV, Atlético Madrid and PSG on their historic run.
Although they were undone by Real Madrid in the final (2-0), it's important to note that seven of the players that started that match remain regulars at the club this term. Having fallen just short, and with a core of players who know what it takes to go far in the competition, there's every reason to believe that Dortmund can emulate last season's run.
Related news
Who is Paul Nebel?
He's helped fire Mainz up to third in the Bundesliga, but what else is there to know about the Germany U21 international?
Dahmen on the cusp of a Germany call-up
Finn Dahmen has revealed that he is next in line to be called up to the Germany squad.
Who is Francis Onyeka?
The lowdown on Leverkusen's Fritz Walter Medal-winning teenager, who has a big future ahead of him...