Man City opposition preview: How Dortmund have started this season & key players to look out for

Borussia Dortmund look set to be Manchester City’s most difficult opponent in their Champions League group.
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Borussia Dortmund have become one of the Champions League’s more regular names in recent years, as well as establishing themselves among the Bundesliga’s most consistent sides.

The Black and Yellows, who face Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League, have finished in the league’s top four in all of the last seven seasons and were the last team, other than Bayern Munich, to finish first.

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In Europe, this is the club’s seventh consecutive season in the Champions League, although they haven’t made it beyond the quarter-finals since 2012/13 when they were beaten finalists.

But how are the current Dortmund side shaping up and what should be expected from them when they travel to the Etihad on Wednesday?

Start to the season

Dortmund have picked up 12 points from the opening six league games, beating Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim, but suffering defeats to Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig.

Dortmund were beaten 3-0 at the weekend. Credit: Getty.Dortmund were beaten 3-0 at the weekend. Credit: Getty.
Dortmund were beaten 3-0 at the weekend. Credit: Getty.

The latter beat Dortmund 3-0 at the weekend in what is the club’s most disappointing result of the season so far.

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The side from the North Rhine-Westphalia region began their Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Copenhagen last week.

How about last season?

Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga last season, eight points off champions Bayern.

BVB, as they’re often referred to, crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage and were demoted to the Europa League after finishing third, with Rangers eliminating them from that competition.

Despite Erling Haaland’s 29 goals in all competitions last term, Dortmund ended the season without silverware following their exit from the DFB-Pokal at the last-16 stage.

Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland moved from Dortmund to City this summer. Credit: Getty.Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland moved from Dortmund to City this summer. Credit: Getty.
Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland moved from Dortmund to City this summer. Credit: Getty.

Key men

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No-one has played more minutes for Dortmund this season than Jude Bellingham, with the England international continuing his impressive development in Germany.

However, it’s the familiar face of Marco Reus who is the club’s top scorer, with three strikes to his name in all competitions. The 33-year-old is a Dortmund legend and has made 364 senior appearances to date.

The creative Julian Brandt is another tricky opponent and he’s already registered three assists so far this season.

Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham are two of Dortmund’s best players. Credit: Getty.Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham are two of Dortmund’s best players. Credit: Getty.
Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham are two of Dortmund’s best players. Credit: Getty.

Other familiar faces in the Dortmund ranks include Thomas Meunier, Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Emre Can.

The manager

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Edin Terzic replaced Marco Rose as manager this summer after previously holding the role of technical manager at the Signal Iduna Park.

This is the 39-year-old’s first permanent managerial role, although he did take temporary charge of Dortmund in 2020/21.

Terzic worked as Slaven Bilic’s assistant at West Ham United between 2015 and 2017.