Champions League: Relaxed group showdown for BVB – Reus is still missing

The program does not include a walk to the little mermaid or a visit to the parallel world in the free town of Christiania.

The Dortmund professionals could actually easily enjoy the many tourist attractions in the Danish capital Copenhagen before the last group game of the Champions League on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN). Because the round of 16 ticket booked a week ago opens up the opportunity to save energy after weeks of chasing appointments. Nevertheless, sports director Sebastian Kehl countered the impression of a coffee trip and called on the professionals: “I expect that we will approach the game in a focused manner – from an economic and sporting point of view.”

Lush prize money beckons

The lavish prize money of 2.8 million euros in the premier class and other bonus points for the international club ranking should be incentive enough. Nevertheless, coach Edin Terzic is tempted to give various professionals a breather after the recent feats of strength against group winners Manchester City (0-0) and Bundesliga competitor Frankfurt (2-1). “Of course it’s possible that we’ll take the opportunity in one or two places,” said Kehl, expecting a manageable rotation, “but we’re going there to win.”

A break seems advisable, especially for frequent players like Jude Bellingham. Even the indefatigable England international recently sounded the alarm in view of the number of appointments in the first half of the season, which were made worse by the winter World Cup: “The pressure is taking its toll on me personally. It’s a freak season.” With appearances in all competitive games for BVB and the national team, the 19-year-old midfielder is one of the most heavily burdened league professionals. The fact that he is one of the best week in and week out and has recently been scoring goals, as against Stuttgart (2) and Frankfurt (1), has a lot to do with his stable physique and strong psyche. “He’s an outstanding player. He’s getting cooler and cooler on the ball and has made another leap,” enthused goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Reus is still missing

Unlike Bellingham, a use of Marco Reus would not have been completely out of the question despite the lack of sporting explosiveness. After all, the BVB captain, who sustained an ankle ligament injury in mid-September and suffered a setback a month later after a brief comeback in the game at Union Berlin, is running out of time. Without match practice, the chances of a place in the World Cup squad of national coach Hansi Flick decrease. In just three more games against Bochum, Wolfsburg and Mönchengladbach, 33-year-old Reus has the chance to make a name for himself. He was still not there when he left for Denmark. In addition, Tom Rothe and Marius Wolf were absent.

Professionals like Marius Wolf, Anthony Modeste, or Felix Passlack will probably get the chance to recommend themselves for further assignments in the game at the bottom of the table. But even with players from the second row, there is a good chance that sports director Kehl’s goal of winning will be implemented. After all, the Danish champions could become the first fourth team in Champions League history without a first-round goal after Deportivo La Coruna (2004/05), Maccabi Haifa (2009/10) and Dinamo Zagreb (2016/17). So far there are 0:11 goals with two points.

The rival fan groups could cause explosiveness of the unpleasant kind. There had already been riots in the first leg. The Danish police therefore classifies the game as a risky game.