BORUSSIA DORTMUND v AC MILAN: THE BRIEFING

Footballers live for nights like this, in stadiums like this. We're back on the pitch in the Champions League at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, two weeks after our opener at home to Newcastle, with one objective in mind: win and get one step closer to qualification. The journey is long and the matches will be anything but easy. Here are some keys to understanding the match that awaits us. 

THE WESTFALENSTADION
For a team like AC Milan, used to playing at San Siro, it cannot and should not be a surprise to come up against an atmosphere as heated as that of Dortmund. The old Westfalenstadion - now BVB Stadion - however, really is an extra factor for Borussia Dortmund, who haven't lost at home since 22 August 2022 in all competitions. In a little more than a year, to name some big clubs, Dortmund have been visited by Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, Manchester City and Chelsea in the Champions League, but none of them were able to leave with a victory. This shows how much the crowd, especially the famed "yellow wall" means to the team. Dortmund, having lost their first match to Paris Saint Germain, need to put points on the board, so we can expect a very quick start from the Gialloneri. Milan will have to bear the brunt, both in terms of football and the atmosphere, showing maturity, personality and cold blood. 

CHANGING THE TEAM
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, starter in 6 of the Rossoneri's 7 games so far this season, won't make it to Dortmund. Presumably, as happened against Lazio, to great avail, Yunus Musah will start in his place. Ruben's absence, along with Krunić, will force Pioli to make at least two changes to the eleven that started against Newcastle two weeks ago. The great depth available to the coach allows him to still have four options for three places. There will still be the great flexibility and efficiency in the midfield department that we saw against Lazio. And perhaps making late runs to create a numerical advantage in the box; Reijnders and Musah have both already come very close to scoring on several occasions, but so far, Loftus-Cheek is the only midfielder to have found the net, against Cagliari. 

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SPACE
The course of the match will be directed by how the hosts line up, playing with the classic four-man defence in the Bundesliga, but adopting a three-man rearguard in Paris, with Hummels, Süle and Schlotterbeck. Dortmund and AC Milan share similar philosophies and approaches, trying to dominate the opponent through possession and winning the ball back high. So far this season, however, BVB have often relied on flashes from Reus and Brandt to make up for the build-up play that has suffered since Bellingham’s departure. This is an aspect that the Rossoneri must try to capitalise on because forcing the Germans to make mistakes in build-up will free up a lot of space in transition; the Gialloneri's very physical but not so mobile defence could suffer in transition. 

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