Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal: UEFA Champions League LIVE blog and team news

Borussia Dortmund will hope to put their recent UEFA Champions League defeat at Manchester City firmly behind them when they welcome Villarreal to Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

Niko Kovač’s side were beaten 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, but that reverse has been the only blot on an otherwise impressive European campaign so far.

Borussia plundered four goals themselves in each of their three other league-phase games, sharing the spoils in an eight-goal thriller with Juventus before securing comfortable victories over Athletic Club and Copenhagen on Matchdays 2 and 3.

Dortmund beat Athletic Club 4-1 in their only other home Champions League game so far this term. - Maja Hitij

City and Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich - who triumphed 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on 18 October - are the only teams to defeat BVB so far this season.

Kovač is likely to be without defender Niklas Süle, whose toe injury is proving more complicated than initially expected, while fellow defender Ramy Bensebaini has been struggling with a back problem. Other than that, the 54-year-old is likely to have a full squad to choose from following the 3-3 draw with top-four rivals VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.

Full-backs Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer are among the players in line to be cycled back into the side. Germany forward Karim Adeyemi is also pushing for a start after scoring as a substitute in that game.

Watch: Kovač's Dortmund flip tactical switch

Villarreal are in excellent domestic form themselves, having won each of their last three La Liga games to consolidate third place in the table behind leaders Real Madrid and closest pursuers Barcelona.

European wins have proved much harder to come by, however. The Yellow Submarine have yet to claim their first victory of the Champions League league phase this season, drawing with Juventus but losing to Tottenham Hotspur, Man City and Cypriot outfit Pafos.

Villarreal were beaten by Cypriot side Pafos in their last Champions League game. - IMAGO/KOSTAS PIKOULAS

Head coach Marcelino and his players travel to Signal Iduna Park without long-term absentees Pau Cabanes and Logan Costa, both of whom damaged knee ligaments during the summer. Willy Kambwala is also unlikely to return until the new year after tearing a thigh muscle in July.

Manor Solomon may miss out with a back problem, but Georges Mikautadze is closing in on a return to action following a muscle injury.

Stats

• Dortmund have lost only two of their last 14 UEFA competition home matches against Spanish clubs (W8 D4).
• Serhou Guirassy has scored 10 goals in his previous eight home games in the Champions League.
• The Black-Yellows need two goals on Tuesday night to reach 350 in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League.
• Borussia have lost only one of their last 19 Champions League matches at home (W12 D6).
• This is the first UEFA competition meeting between Dortmund and Villarreal.
• Villarreal are without a win in their last seven matches in the Champions League proper (D2 L5).

Probable teams

Dortmund: Kobel – Anton, Can (c), Schlotterbeck (c) - Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson - Chukwuemeka, Brandt - Guirassy
Out: Süle (toe)
Doubtful: Bensebaini (back)
Coach: Niko Kovač

Villarreal: Júnior - Navarro, Marín, Veiga, Pedraza - Buchanan, Partey, Comesaña, Moleiro - G. Moreno (c), Oluwaseyi
Out: Kambwala (hamstring), Cabanes (knee), Costa (knee), Solomon (back)
Doubtful: Mikautadze (muscular)
Coach: Marcelino

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