Bundesliga Liveticker

TSG Hoffenheim - FC Schalke 04 | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:12:58 GMT

Hoffenheim on their toes Only Bayern Munich have covered more ground than the Sinsheimers this season. Hoffenheim are also the fastest at recovering the ball, needing only 13 seconds on average.

Schalke's scoring issues The Royal Blues have scored the fewest goals of any Bundesliga side this season (four), all of which have come away from home.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Hoffenheim and Schalke.

Sport-Club Freiburg - 1. FC Union Berlin | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:42:40 GMT

Freiburg first Freiburg's 16 points after eight matches is their second-best total at this stage of a season after 17 in 2022/23. Their 18 goals scored, though, is a new club record.

Tight Union Union have been defending very deep in their four-match unbeaten league run, conceding only twice and scoring just three times at the other end.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Freiburg and Union Berlin.

1. FC Köln - Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 16:26:13 GMT

Cologne's home strength Cologne are unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga this season (W2, D2), while they claimed a superb 5-0 DFB Cup win over Union Berlin in front of their own fans in October.

Leverkusen goal threat Bayer may have suffered two consecutive Bundesliga defeats for the first time since January, but their 18 goals this season is the third most in the league and twice as many as Cologne have scored.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Cologne and Bayer Leverkusen.

1. FC Heidenheim 1846 - Hannover 96 | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:14:03 GMT

Cause for optimism Marcel Hartel scored the only goal on his last trip to Heidenheim, earning St. Pauli a 1-0 win in April 2023.

Dry spell Hannover's last victory over Heidenheim was a 1-0 home win in August 2021. They have lost each of their last four visits to the Voith Arena and have not won there since April 2017, when Martin Harnik (pictured) scored twice in a 2-0 success.

Always a winner All 10 meetings between Heidenheim and Hannover have taken place in Bundesliga 2, and there has always been a winner (six for Heidenheim, four for Hannover).

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Heidenheim and Hannover.

VfL Bochum 1848 - Karlsruher SC | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:18:59 GMT

Rösler's mixed fortunes Bochum boss Uwe Rösler is unbeaten against Karlsruhe as a coach, picking up three wins and a draw. He played his last-ever game against KSC in May 2002 but suffered a 3-0 defeat with Unterhaching, which clinched the Bavarians' demotion to the third tier.

Tough to beat Karlsruhe have avoided defeat on each of their last six visits to Bochum, who have not beaten KSC at home since a 1-0 success in May 2014.

Proud Karlsruhe record Bochum striker Philipp Hofmann scored 49 goals in 96 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Karlsruhe. Only Emanuel Günther (98 goals) and Marvin Wanitzek (71) have found the net more often for the Baden-Württemberg club in Germany's second tier.

Draw specialists Thirteen of the 24 Bundesliga 2 meetings between these teams have ended level.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Bochum and Karlsruhe.

1. FC Magdeburg - FC St. Pauli | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:21:46 GMT

Promotion hopes dashed St. Pauli dramatically ended Magdeburg's promotion hopes on the final day of the third-tier Regionalliga season in 2006/07. The Hamburg side had already clinched the title, but the teams' 1-1 draw enabled Osnabrück to leapfrog Magdeburg into second place.

Pauli finally beaten That 1-0 triumph in 2023/24 was Magdeburg's first-ever victory over Die Kiezkicker, who had registered six wins and two draws from their first eight meetings with Magdeburg. Fabian Hürzeler (pictured) was in charge when Pauli last beat the east German side (2-1) in February 2023.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Magdeburg and St. Pauli.

Hertha BSC - VfL Wolfsburg | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:09:19 GMT

Capital gains Wolfsburg triumphed 5-0 on their last visit to Hertha in the league, with Maximilian Arnold among the scorers in January 2023. The Wolves have picked up 14 points from their last six league outings to the Olympiastadion, conceding only twice in the process.

Fond memories Hertha's Paul Seguin came through the youth ranks at Wolfsburg, where he made 26 Bundesliga appearances before moving to Greuther Fürth. His only goal for Wolfsburg's first team came in a 3-2 home defeat to Hertha in December 2016.

Familiar faces Wolfsburg's Fabian Reese (pictured) racked up an impressive 55 goal contributions (30 goals, 25 assists) in 82 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Hertha. His successor as captain of the Berlin outfit, Josip Brekalo, registered 22 goals in 129 competitive appearances for Wolfsburg.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg.

VfB Stuttgart - SV Werder Bremen | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:46:42 GMT

First Champions League loss Stuttgart's unbeaten start to the league phase was ended in Istanbul on Tuesday as they went down to a 2-0 loss against Galatasaray after two quickfire first-half goals. Sebastian Hoeneß's side struck the woodwork multiple times on a disappointing evening.

Buoyant Bremen Werder's 15 points after eight matches marks their best start to a Bundesliga season since 2018/19.

Demirović's double delight Demirović has matched Füllkrug as only the second player to score two braces this season. Serhou Guirassy is the only Stuttgart player to ever score two or more goals in three successive matches (in September 2023).

History beckons for Füllkrug Füllkrug equalled Rudi Völler's club record of scoring in seven consecutive matches (set in 1982/83) against Hoffenheim, and now has a chance to set a new Bremen best.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.

Borussia Dortmund - SV Elversberg | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 18:45:54 GMT

Ultimate David vs. Goliath The smallest town in Bundesliga history visits German football's largest stadium on Saturday, with a reported 8,000 Elversberg fans set to be inside Signal Iduna Park. That's over half the population of Spiesen-Elversberg, which could fit inside BVB's home six times and have seats left over.

Reunions Dortmund sporting director Ole Book joined in March after eight years in various functions at Elversberg, while US international Cole Campbell moved in the opposite direction this summer.

Every hope for Elversberg The Bundesliga newcomers' 13 points from their opening eight matches is an impressive tally. No side with that many points at this stage of the season have ended up being relegated since St. Pauli in 2010/11.

Dortmund don't stop running Last week's Der Klassiker saw Dortmund set a new club record for the total distance covered in a match - a whopping 127.6 kilometres.

Previous meeting: Elversberg 1-4 Dortmund This will be the first time these teams have ever met in a league fixture, and their first competitive encounter for 45 years. They have only come face-to-face once before, with Dortmund winning 4-1 in the second round of the DFB Cup on 10 October 1981.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Borussia Dortmund and Elversberg.

RB Leipzig - FC Augsburg | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:42:37 GMT

Leipzig's formidable home form Leipzig have won all four of their home league matches so far this season with a staggering overall goal difference of 18-0. They could become just the fourth team in Bundesliga history to win their first five home matches of a season without conceding - and first since Bayern Munich in 2005/06.

Goals galore for Gregoritsch Michael Gregoritsch's goal against Freiburg last weekend saw him equal a club record for the most goals in the opening eight matches of a season (five, level with Ermedin Demirović in 2023/24).

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between RB Leipzig and Augsburg.

1. FSV Mainz 05 - FC Bayern München | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 11:22:23 GMT

Bayern victorious in Madrid The Bundesliga leaders bounced back from their Klassiker draw with an excellent team display to claim a 2-0 win away at Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer were the heroes with two well-taken finishes at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Unbeaten Bayern The champions have not lost any of their past 23 Bundesliga matches. On the flip side, their three draws this season mean they have dropped points more times than in the whole first half of the last campaign.

Bayern's attacking machine Bayern boast the best attack in the league this season, with 27 goals and 184 shots so far. With a combined xG of 28.8, they could well have scored a couple more.

A unique claim Mainz's 2-1 win over Bayern in December 2024, thanks to a Jae-Sung Lee brace, is the only away defeat the champions have suffered in the Bundesliga since Vincent Kompany took charge. Mainz have won four of their past six home matches against Bayern - and have beaten them more often than any other team in that time.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Mainz and Bayern.

SC Paderborn 07 - Eintracht Frankfurt | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:42:38 GMT

Battle of brothers? Paderborn's Felix and Frankfurt's Mario Götze could face one another for the third time in the Bundesliga. The siblings met twice in 2018/19 while at Augsburg and Dortmund respectively, claiming one win each.

Ebnoutalib threat The striker's six league goals this season are as many as Paderborn have scored so far in total.

Starting as they mean to go on Paderborn have yet to finish a matchday in the automatic relegation places this season. They have spent only one week (between Matchdays 6 and 7) in the play-off spot so far.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Paderborn and Eintracht Frankfurt.

1. FC Nürnberg - SV Darmstadt 98 | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:00:05 GMT

Due a home win? Darmstadt have won four of their last six games at the Max-Morlock Stadion, losing only two of their past 12 visits. Nuremberg last got the better of the Lilies on home soil (1-0) in January 2025.

Darmstadt's impressive run The Lilies won both meetings with Der Club last season without conceding a goal (1-0 away, 2-0 at home). They have taken an impressive 13 points from their last six matches against the Franconians.

Shared Werder past Coaches Miroslav Klose and Florian Kohfeldt were once at Werder Bremen together. Klose played for the first team in the Champions League from 2004 to 2007, while Kohfeldt represented Werder's third team before becoming a youth coach in 2006.

Goals guaranteed? None of the 45 competitive meetings between the two clubs (including 28 in Bundesliga 2) have ended goalless. The most recent games have been tight affairs, though, with only nine goals in the previous six encounters.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Nuremberg and Darmstadt.

Holstein Kiel - DSC Arminia Bielefeld | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:02:46 GMT

Winning run In 12 second-tier meetings with Kiel, Arminia have collected 27 points and lost only once - a 2-1 away defeat in October 2017, when Marvin Ducksch registered a goal and an assist.

Kiel's barren spell The Storks' 2-2 draw in January ended a run of seven consecutive defeats against Bielefeld.

Former Hamburg colleagues The two coaches, Oliver Kirch and Tim Wagner, know each other from their time at Hamburg: Wagner was in charge of the Red Shorts' first team between 2021 and 2023 - when Kirch was head coach of HSV's U19 side.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Holstein Kiel and Arminia Bielefeld.

VfL Osnabrück - 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:07:36 GMT

Lieberknecht on top Kaiserslautern head coach Torsten Lieberknecht is unbeaten in four previous encounters with opposite number Timo Schultz, winning three and drawing one.

Slim pickings Current Werder Bremen boss Daniel Thioune masterminded Osnabrück's most recent victories over Lautern in 2018/19. Their only second-tier win against the Red Devils was back in March 2008, when Nico Frommer and Pierre de Wit made the scoresheet.

Red Devils licking their lips Kaiserslautern have taken 10 points from their last four games against Osnabrück. They have won seven of the teams' 11 competitive encounters down the years, losing three and drawing once.

Dramatic comebacks Lautern came from behind in both their meetings with Osnabrück in 2023/24. They fought back twice before triumphing 3-2 in March 2024, having battled back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away from home earlier that season.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Osnabrück and Kaiserslautern.

Hamburger SV - Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2026/27 Season | Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 09:42:36 GMT

No need to panic Borussia were also bottom of the table after Matchday 8 last season - with even fewer points on the board (three compared to four). They survived comfortably at the end of the campaign, finishing nine points above the relegation play-off position in 12th.

Hamburg hoping for an upturn After starting the Bundesliga season with three defeats, Merlin Polzin's side then gained three successive wins - before going on to lose three on the bounce again in all competitions.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 9 fixture between Hamburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

SG Dynamo Dresden - SpVgg Greuther Fürth | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:58:45 GMT

Fürth past Dynamo have four former Fürth players in their ranks in Lennart Grill, Robert Wagner, Tobias Raschl and Nicolai Rapp (pictured, left).

Strong record Their 2-0 loss in the teams' last meeting was Fürth's only defeat in their last nine matches against Dynamo (five wins, three draws).

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Dynamo Dresden and Greuther Fürth.

Eintracht Braunschweig - FC Energie Cottbus | 2026/27 Season | 2. Bundesliga

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:56:45 GMT

Unhappy hunting ground Energie's only victory at the Eintracht-Stadion to date came over 20 years ago, when a stoppage-time Francis Kioyo goal secured a 1-0 win in March 2006.

Guard of honour The last Bundesliga 2 meeting between the sides on 6 May 2013 ended goalless, but there was a memorable moment before kick-off as the Cottbus players formed a guard of honour for their opponents - who had just secured promotion to the Bundesliga.

Previous meeting: Eintracht Braunschweig 1-1 Energie Cottbus The teams played out a feisty encounter in the third tier when they last met in May 2019, with a red card apiece being issued in the final few minutes. Cottbus were ultimately relegated, while Braunschweig survived on goal difference.

Hello and welcome! Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 11 fixture between Eintracht Braunschweig and Energie Cottbus.

Champions League today: RB Leipzig - Manchester City FC | 2026/27 Season | Champions League

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 20:23:46 GMT

Raum whacks one Nusa chases towards the Man City goal and opens up the defence with a good pass out to the right. The ball runs across the goal as the visitors try to clear it, allowing Raum to run up and drill a shot on goal that is blocked.

Booking for Baumgartner The Austrian slides in on Elliot Anderson by the sideline and is shown a yellow card.

Nusa has an effort The Leipzig winger sends a dangerous shot in from just outside the box that Donnarumma can only hoist over his own crossbar. That was promising!

City keeping the ball The visitors have seen 75% possession in the opening phase - but Leipzig have certainly kept them at bay.

Cherki clips shot wide Man City probe Leipzig with a good passing move that sees Cherki have a chance to shoot just outside the box - sending a shot narrowly wide of the target.

Quiet start Manchester City have been keeping possession well as Leipzig try to prize the ball away from them.

Off we go! The English Premier League side get us started.

Moment of reflection Jesús de Miguel, who tragically passed away due to an incident in a Spanish second division match in recent days, is remembered before kick-off.

The teams are out There is more than a tingle of Champions League excitement in the air as we prepare to get going!

Famous night ahead? After four home wins out of four in the Bundesliga with a combined goal difference of 18-0, Leipzig certainly have hope of making their home advantage count.

More on that Man City team The expected big names feature in the starting line-up, with former Dortmund striker Erling Haaland captaining the side. Joško Gvardiol (pictured) begins on the bench on his return to Leipzig, where he played between 2020 and 2023.

More on that Leipzig team Martín Demichelis makes two changes to the XI that began the 2-0 win at Schalke at the weekend. Ridle Baku and Christoph Baumgartner (pictured), making his first start since his injury comeback, come in at the expense of Henrichs and Reitz - who drop to the bench.

Man City starting line-up Donnarumma - Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly - Anderson, Fernández - Ndiaye, Cherki, Foden - Haaland (c)

Man City subs Bettinelli, Rulli, Rúben Dias, Kovačić, Doku, Aït-Nouri, Vitor Reis, Gvardiol, Bouaddi, Allan Elias, Samba, Lewis

Leipzig subs Nyland, Kone, Estève, Bakayoko, Seiwald, Klostermann, Reitz, Gomis, Nkunku, Henrichs, Maksimović

Phil Foden on facing RB Leipzig The Manchester City and England attacker said: "In the past, I've played them quite a few times. Normally, they're a very good attacking team, on the counter as well, so they're probably things we have to look out for."

Baumgartner sees chances against Man City While the Cityzens are elite opponents, Baumgartner believes his side can prevail. "We're facing an absolute top opponent. We showed glimpses of our ability against Real Madrid that we can compete with teams like that. City has brutal quality, but we've seen recently that they're vulnerable. We have to be brave."

Baumgartner discusses return The Austria international is finally fit after several months on the sidelines and is eager to make up for lost time. "My nose for goal never went away, my instincts were always there. That things are going so well after my comeback isn't something I take for granted, and I'm absolutely delighted. It helps you tremendously as a player when you can come back with goals and assists. But everyone knows that it won't continue at this rate."

Demichelis confirms Baumgartner return Ahead of the clash with Man City, the Leipzig head coach confirmed Christoph Baumgartner will start for the first time since recovering from the injury he suffered before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. "Baumi has been working well on his fitness for quite some time now. He was already present in his first 10 minutes against Madrid. He played 30 minutes again at the weekend. He'll start against Manchester City. We're delighted that he's ready for it."

Martín Demichelis on facing Man City "The players needed time to get to know me, and I needed time to get to know them. We've played three good games in the last few weeks. We've become more stable and played a superb game both with and without the ball at Schalke. We'll try to perform like that at home against a top opponent."

Nusa backed by former coach Gaute Larsen, who coached both Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland in Norwegian youth football, told the RB Leipzig website: "When they were both young, Antonio was the bigger talent in my eyes. I think we’re only just starting to see the best of Antonio. As he grows in confidence, he’s going to get even better.”

Ouédraogo and Guiu out, Estève a doubt Assan Ouédraogo (shoulder) and Marc Guiu (hamstring) will be unavailable for the visit of Manchester City. Maxime Estève (pictured) missed their win over Schalke with a knock he picked up in the DFB Cup against Rot-Weiß Essen, but could yet return to the squad for this encounter.

Nusa shooting for the stars The Norwegian winger grabbed a goal and an assist in that Schalke win, making him the first player in the Bundesliga to hit 10 goals and assists this season.

Another win on the road That win over Schalke was their first away win after three previous attempts, but could they follow that up with a win over City? Enzo Maresca's side fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton on the weekend.

H2H record Leipzig have faced Man City six times in the Champions League to date (W1, D1, L4), most recently losing home and away in the 2023/24 group stage. The Saxony club's only win in the fixture came at the same stage two years earlier (2-1 at home).

The return of Gvardiol Joško Gvardiol made 87 competitive appearances for Leipzig, before switching to Man City in summer 2023. The Croatia international won back-to-back DFB Cups during his time in Germany.

Leipzig: the story so far Leipzig have a point to prove after a comprehensive 4-1 loss at Real Madrid. They also went down by the same scoreline away to tournament debutants Como, before grinding out a 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in their first home fixture of the league phase. Although in the elimination places, Die Roten Bullen are only outside the unseeded knockout phase play-off berths on goal difference with five games still to play.

Man City: the story so far Man City thumped AEK 5-1 last time out, delivering the ideal response to their 4-2 loss at home to holders Paris Saint-Germain a week earlier. Enzo Maresca's team also took three points off Porto in their league-phase opener, placing them in the seeded play-off places ahead of Matchday 4.

Welcome! Follow all of the build-up and live action as RB Leipzig host Manchester City in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

Champions League today: Borussia Dortmund - Real Betis Balompie Sevilla | 2026/27 Season | Champions League

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 20:27:11 GMT

Straight at Kobel Ezzalzouli once again looks to cut inside off the left flank and shoot. He makes space for the shot in front of Anton, but his low effort is smothered by Kobel.

Ryerson looking lively Dortmund's best two attacks so far this half have come on the end of Ryerson crosses.

How did that stay out? What a save from Álvaro Valles! Schotterbeck picks out Ryerson with another sensational long pass high up towards the right wing. There, the Norwegian swings in an inch-perfect cross for Svensson to run onto on the edge of the six-yard box, but the Betis goalkeeper is equal to the Swede's volley with a superb reaction save to preserve the deadlock here.

Nmecha from distance Dortmund's No.8 lets fly from around 30 yards with a powerful effort that sails just wide of the right post. Álvaro Valles was scrambling across there...

Disallowed Betis have the ball in the back of Dortmund's net but it will not stand! Deossa slips Parrott in behind, who then slides the ball into the path of Antony, allowing the winger to slot home past Kobel in a one-on-one. Parrott had been fractionally offside in the build-up, though, which was checked and cleared by the VAR.

Always flying wide Ezzalzouli breaks down the left flank before cutting back onto his right foot and curling an effort wide past the right post.

Lifted over Ryerson sends Bellingham through to the byline, from where Dortmund's No.7 cuts the ball back into the path of Guirassy inside Betis' box. Guirassy is always leaning back, though, and fires his first-time effort over the bar.

First corner Svensson floats a delivery from the right towards the far post, finding Bensebaini's head. However, the Dortmund defender's effort is straight at Álvaro Valles.

Patient build-up Dortmund are knocking the ball about very confidently here. Guirassy has even dropped into a midfield position to get involved.

Flashed wide Schlotterbeck spots Ryerson in an advanced position high up on the right flank and finds him with a superb ball over the top. Ryerson in turn looks to deliver the early cross into the path of Guirassy. His ball is a good one, but Guirassy can only get a glancing connection on it from 12 yards, guiding it wide of the left post. Good early chance for Dortmund.

And we're off! Betis get the ball rolling here in Dortmund.

Moment of reflection Jesús de Miguel, who tragically passed away due to an incident in a Spanish second division match in recent days, is remembered before kick-off.

Anthem rings out The action is minutes away from starting...

Scourge of Spanish sides Serhou Guirassy has scored in all five of his UEFA Champions League home matches against Spanish clubs, amassing a ten-strong goal haul.

Warm-ups underway The keepers are out first to warm up on what is a chilly night in Dortmund.

Tonight's venue The seats are sure to be filling up soon here at Signal Iduna Park.

More on that Betis team Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini makes seven alterations to the team that beat Malaga 2-1 in their last game. Ortiz, Llorente, Gómez, Bernal, Deossa, Ceballos and Antony come in for Bellerín, Isco, García, Fornals, Roca, Riquelme and former Borussia defender Bartra (pictured).

More on that Dortmund team Kovač makes three changes to the side that started the 2-2 Klassiker draw at Bayern Munich. Gadou, Beier and Chukwuemeka have to make do with a place on the bench, with Bensebaini, Silva (pictured) and Ryerson restored to the starting XI.

Betis subs Conde, González, Bellerín, Bartra, Fornals, García, Riquelme, Lo Celso, Roca, Isco Ruibal, Morante

Dortmund subs Drewes, Meyer, Beier, Chukwuemeka, Nwaneri, Karetsas, Gadou, Mane, Inácio, Albert, Dos Santos

A blast from the BVB past Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini has only faced Borussia Dortmund in a single two-legged encounter over his long coaching career. Back in 2012/13, he was in charge of Malaga when Jürgen Klopp's Dortmund memorably beat them 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals thanks to a late comeback - on the way to a final they lost against Bayern Munich.

Kobel praises Dortmund squad Gregor Kobel also spoke to the media ahead of this clash, saying, "The way I perceive the team, the way I feel myself, I have to say: We're all at a very, very good athletic level. We feel good and are ready to perform every few days."

Kovač on facing Betis "We have to impose our game, especially here in our stadium with our fans. They are a team that will certainly challenge us tomorrow. We have to do exactly what they don't want us to do."

Kovač discusses Dortmund backline Dortmund lined up in a back four at the weekend a Bayern, but Kovač remains open to a return to a back three for this clash. "If the team embraces it as they did this weekend, it's absolutely no problem whether we play with a three-man or four-man backline," he explained. "Attitude, passion, intensity – those are the attributes you need."

Guirassy gets Champions League goals The Dortmund striker's brace at Sabah took him to four goals in three appearances in the competition this season - and 23 career goals in the UEFA Champions League.

Karetsas back Dortmund were able to field Konstantinos Karetsas again as a second-half substitute in Der Klassiker, after the 18-year-old creative talent missed the previous three matches due to injury. Emre Can, Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma were the only names on the injury list on Saturday.

Betis victorious Betis were triumphant in LaLiga on Saturday as they defeated Malaga 2-1. Former Dortmund man Marc Bartra and Pablo Fornals were the goalscorers, with Betis remaining fourth in the table.

Spanish H2H Dortmund beat Betis 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in August 2015, but the clubs have never met competitively. They're set to become BVB's eighth different Spanish opponent in the Champions League (W13, D9, L14).

Remember this guy? Dortmund fans may remember Marc Roca from his time at Bayern Munich. The Betis midfielder played for BVB's fierce domestic rivals in 2020/21 and 2021/22, before returning to Spain, via a loan spell at English club Leeds United, in summer 2023.

Bartra's return Betis defender Marc Bartra played for Dortmund between July 2016 and January 2018, making 51 competitive appearances and winning the 2017/18 DFB Cup. His time in Germany was marked by the attack on the BVB team bus ahead of a Champions League quarter-final against Monaco in April 2017, in which he suffered a broken wrist after being struck by shrapnel. Bartra later spoke openly about the trauma and its lasting psychological impact, explaining that he needed to return to Spain to be closer to his family.

Dortmund: the story so far Dortmund have recorded wins over Villarreal (3-2) and Sabah (2-1) either side of a 1-0 defeat at Norway's Bodø/Glimt. With six points to show for their efforts, BVB are outside the automatic last-16 qualification places on goal difference going into the latest round of league-phase fixtures.

Betis: the story so far Betis are arguably the surprise package of the league phase so far, taking maximum points from games against Lille (3-2), Porto (3-2) and Feyenoord (1-0). The Spanish outfit are in fine company in the top five of the standings, with only holders Paris Saint-Germain, English duo Aston Villa and Liverpool and José Mourinho's Real Madrid also on nine points after three games.

Welcome! Follow all of the build-up and live action as Borussia Dortmund host Real Betis in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).