It’s probably not enough: BVB will probably miss Erling Haaland in the Champions League game against Sporting Lisbon. So there is a lack of offensive power. Fortunately for Dortmund, at least Marco Reus has reported fit.
In the 1-0 defeat in Gladbach it became clear how important Erling Haaland is for Borussia Dortmund because he was missing. Now the Norwegian striker threatens to be canceled for the Champions League game this Tuesday (and on Amazon Prime Video) against Sporting Lisbon. That does not change anything about the ambitions of the Dortmunders. Nevertheless: Without the Haaland goal machine, the BVB attack lacks penetrative power.
It is not yet certain whether Haaland will be out. That will only be decided in the hours before the game. The 21-year-old, who suffers from muscular problems, missed the final training session. But there is a glimmer of hope for BVB: Captain Marco Reus is fit (he took part in the final training) and will at least sit on the bench after he had also failed against Gladbach.
Marco Rose dampens hope
Coach Marco Rose dampens hope: “It’s going to be tight for both of them,” he said at the press conference on Monday. Above all, the use of Torgarant Haaland appears extremely questionable. “It really hurts with Erling,” the coach revealed. In his opinion, a comeback from Reus seems more likely.
The dependence of BVB on goal machine Haaland and template provider Reus became clear in the game against Mönchengladbach. For the first time in 37 games (club record), Dortmund have not scored a goal. In a competitive game, there was a lack of ideas, speed and force in the BVB game. There were hardly any chances to score against aggressive Gladbachers.
Sporting are plagued by similar problems
What speaks for BVB: The home record against Portuguese clubs is excellent. Dortmund won all six games and opponents Sporting plague similar worries as Dortmund: their best player and top scorer Pedro Goncalves has been missing for a long time because he has problems with his left foot. Seen in this way, the disadvantages compensate each other again. Ajax Amsterdam proved that Sporting can be beaten when they defeated the Portuguese 5-1 on matchday one of the group stage.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
