The home side look to win a heavyweight clash that gets their UEFA Champions League campaign up and running with a first win on Matchday 2.
Borussia Dortmund will host a heavyweight European clash when seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan come to town for what is sure to be a cracking game in Germany.
Both sides find themselves in this season’s Group of Death as they will both have to contend with Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle; hence, points from this game will be vital in determining who challenges for the top two spots.
Dortmund disappointingly finished second behind Bayern Munich in the 2022/23 Bundesliga season following a late collapse on the final day when they failed to beat Mainz at home, and the Bavarians sealed an 11th consecutive title via a late winning goal.
Edin Terzic’s side were left to rue missed opportunities over the summer but have so far been undefeated domestically. They began the season with a 6-1 victory over Schott Mainz in the DFB Pokal and then kicked off their Bundesliga campaign with a 1-0 win at home to Koln.
Draws against VFL Bochum and Heidenheim put a dampener on the mood, but they bounced back after the September international break with a roaring 4-2 win over SC Freiburg.
Yet, Dortmund lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League opener after conceding in quick succession early in the second half through a Kylian Mbappe penalty and Achraf Hakimi’s well-taken goal against his former team.
BVB are keen to beat their Italian opponents, which would undoubtedly breathe life into their chances of reaching the knockout rounds. They will also be confident of doing so in front of their home fans, where they have won 10 of the last 12 Champions League games.
AC Milan are the more established club in Europe’s premier competition, and they slightly have the upper hand from their four head-to-head meetings with two wins and a draw.
The current Rossoneri lost their league title defense to Napoli last season, but they compensated with a deep run into the latter stages of this competition.
They are now arguably stronger after considerable investment in the overall quality of the squad during the off-season.
Milan got their Serie A campaign off to an impressive start as goals from Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic secured a 2-0 win at Bologna.
Their first home game was a party atmosphere when Torino were put to the sword in a 4-1 demolition, and the optimism only grew when Milan won 2-1 against Roma.
The other side of the international window has been less positive as Stefano Pioli’s side slipped to a heavy 5-1 defeat against City rivals Inter Milan, the first time they have lost five consecutive Milan derbies.
The Red and Blacks then saw plenty of chances go begging against Newcastle, who left San Siro with a stalemate on Matchday 1 of the Champions League campaign.
Indeed, Milan have the chance to get back into form against Verona, Cagliari, and Lazio before they travel to the Westfalenstadion.
Last season’s semi finalists possess the know-how to get something out of big games such as their next UCL fixture.
Indeed, maximum points will put their qualification destiny in their own hands as the battle for points should go down to the wire in Group F.
Match Tickets
This fixture will take place on Wednesday, 4 October, kicking off at 8 PM UK time in the stunning Signal Iduna Park Stadium in Dortmund. It promises to be a spectacular atmosphere for those in attendance.
More than 80,000 fans, most of whom will be packed in the Yellow Wall, may also be decisive in the outcome. Tickets for the game have been made available on each club’s official channels.
Getting them will not be easy, given it is an early-season affair and many loyal supporters will make the trip from Italy.
You might have to get hold of your own Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan tickets on a ticket reselling site because almost all direct sources will be sold out.
Team News
Thomas Meunier and Mateu Moray are expected to miss out, while Giovanni Reyna is yet to feature this season. Although Marcel Sabitzer went off injured in the opening game against PSG, he may have fully returned for the AC Milan fixture.
BVB have welcomed back Julien Duranville from a muscular injury, and he may be placed on the substitutes bench for this game.
Meanwhile, Milan have an unwelcome list of absences as the likes of Ismael Bennacer, Pierre Kalulu, Mattia Caldara, and Mike Maignan are all injured for the away side.
Pioli will hope to have no more major casualties by the time they travel to Dortmund.
Line-ups
Having lined up with three defenders in Paris, Terzic should revert to the shape that has served BVB so well domestically as they look to impose their game backed by the home crowd.
This would mean a start for Sebastien Haller and Marco Reus in a bid to add attacking urgency to the team.
- Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Wolf, Hummels, Sclotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Can; Malen, Reus, Brandt; Haller
The Rossoneri will hope to have one or two players back from injury before this match, as their core players provide the platform to win matches.
Milan’s strongest team would feature Maignan, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez, Rade Krunic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao, and Olivier Giroud. Elsewhere, Samuel Chukwueze would hope to keep his place after earning his full debut in the first Champions League game.
- AC Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Krunic, Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Prediction
The visitors are favourites on paper, given their experience in European competitions, but they will face a daunting task in North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund will be on the front foot, and it is up to Milan to upset the odds.
Given the attacking threat Milan possess, they will be confident of outscoring the Black and Yellows.
- Borussia Dortmund 2-2 AC Milan
