Champions League: Where Dortmund’s clash with Barcelona could be decided

“It’s going to be a tough game. We’re going to suffer a lot.” Marco Reus (pictured above, right) told reporters on Monday, looking ahead to his side’s clash with Barcelona on Tuesday evening — and Reus is no stranger to a bit of pain and suffering.

Dortmund’s captain has experienced more than his fair share of injuries, one of which, cruelly, ruled him out of Germany’s World Cup-winning squad in 2014. He has lost finals and seen league titles slip through his fingers, but now he is looking forward to his first opportunity to face Barcelona in the Champions League.

“We have to concentrate on our own game,” he said. “We want to test ourselves against the best and they are the best. We have to be bold, push forward and try to score goals. It is so important to start well in the group.”

Despite the fact these teams have never met in the competition, pluck a little at the seams and you’ll find a host of narratives woven through the encounter: fallen heroes, boy kings, returning sons. Here is where the game could be won and lost. 

Missing magician

Lionel Messi’s probable absence from the starting XI, due to an ongoing calf injury, is the standout subplot; Barcelona, for all their riches, are a pallid version of themselves without the little Argentine and Lucien Favre knows his team must make take advantage of the situation if he’s relegated to bench duty. Messi scored 12 goals in the Champions League last season, and has 120 in 144 appearances overall in the competition. This is no ordinary absentee; it may well prove to be the deciding factor.

“He has qualities not many players have,” Reus said. “But I’d be happy if he plays.” 

We can only assume he means the final two minutes, with Dortmund too far ahead to catch.

Teenage dreams

Ansu Fati, a 16-year old product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, may be chosen to deputize in Messi’s absence, having sent social media into meltdown after scoring twice in three appearances for the Catalan giants. He’s yet to make his European debut but doesn’t seem at all fazed by the expectation on his schoolboy shoulders. Dortmund coach Lucien Favre has been impressed with his emergence. 

“I’ve watched Barcelona’s recent matches,” he told reporters. “They were excellent against Valencia when they had 16-year old Ansu Fati playing. He did very well. We will have to be on our game for 95 minutes on Tuesday and be ready for everything.” 

At 19, Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho almost looks a veteran by comparison. If the Englishman can regularly reproduce his Bundesliga form on the European stage – he has two goals and five assists in four league games so far this season – Dortmund will certainly be capable of creating chances against Barca. How the two teenage sensations cope in the limelight could be pivotal.

Ansu Fati has broken into the Barcelona first team with some match-winning displays

A point to prove

Borussia Dortmund’s Paco Alcacer has a point to prove against the club who deemed him surplus to requirements. The Spaniard spent three years on Barcelona’s books, between 2016 and 2019, but never really got an extended run of games. He’s found a home in western Germany, scoring 26 goals in 38 games for Dortmund. The 26-year old has been in red-hot form this season, already scoring seven goals in six games and winning praise from his teammates. 

Paco Alcacer never got an extended run of games at Barcelona

“In Paco we have an ice cold striker in and around the box,” said Dortmund defender Matts Hummels following Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, a game in which the Spaniard scored.

“There aren’t many players sharper than him around the penalty area. We have such good quality going forward.”

Alcacer will be reslishing the opportuinity to show Barcelona what they lost when they sanctioned his move to the Westfalenstadion in the summer of 2018 – initially on loan. If he can continue his rich scoring vein, Dortmund might just get the better of the Catalan giants on Tuesday. 

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/champions-league-where-dortmund-s-clash-with-barcelona-could-be-decided/a-50449801?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf