Borussia Dortmund host Benfica at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday in one of the more finely poised Champions League last-16 matchups.
Tuchel rues loss of Reus to injury
The Portuguese outfit were 1-0 victors in Lisbon a fortnight ago and will travel to Germany in the knowledge that a goal will put them in a strong position to qualify for the next round.
Dortmund have the attacking talent to blow teams away on their day, however, and will hope the speed and exuberance of their young squad outweighs their inexperience.
| Game | Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica |
| Date | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT, 2:45pm ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on BT Sport 3 and by stream via the BT Sport app, with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 3 | BT Sport app |
In the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on FS2 and by stream via Fox Soccer 2Go, with coverage beginning at 2pm ET and 11am PT.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FS2 | Fox Soccer 2Go |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Borussia Dortmund players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Weidenfeller, Burki, Bonmann |
| Defenders | Bartra, Guerreiro, Sokratis, Piszczek, Ginter, Schmelzer, Passlack, Durm |
| Midfielders | Sahin, Pulisic, Kagawa, Merino, Castro, Weigl |
| Forwards | Dembele, Mor, Aubameyang, Schurrle |
Thomas Tuchel is without Marco Reus, who suffered a hamstring injury at the weekend against Bayer Leverkusen. Andre Schurrle is in line to replace his compatriot in Dortmund's attack, but Christian Pulisic is also in contention.
Also unavailable are Mario Gotze (illness) and Sebastian Rode (groin). Raphael Guerreiro is a doubt with a thigh injury but is likely to start alongside Julian Weigl in central midfield if fit, with Gonzalo Castro the alternative.
Potential starting XI: Burki; Piszczek, Sokratis, Bartra; Durm, Weigl, Guerreiro, Schmelzer; Dembele, Aubameyang, Schurrle.
| Position | Benfica players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Cesar, Lopes |
| Defenders | Luisao, Lindelof, Eliseu, Jardel, Pereira, Almeida, Semedo |
| Midfielders | Augusto, Samaris, Horta, Salvio, Pizzi, Cervi, Rafa, Zivkovic, Carrillo |
| Forwards | Jimenez, Jonas, Mitroglou |
Ljubomir Fejsa (ankle) will be missing for Benfica, while fellow central midfielder Filipe Augusto (both ankle) is also a doubt. Greece international Andreas Samaris is the likely starter alongside Pizzi as a result.
Jonas is in the squad but has been struggling with a minor injury, so Rafa Silva could once again play alongside Kostas Mitroglou in attack.
Potential starting XI: Ederson; Semedo, Luisao, Lindelof, Eliseu; Salvio, Samaris, Pizzi, Zivkovic; Rafa, Mitroglou.
BETTING & GAME ODDS
Dortmund are odds-on favourites to win on home turf according to Oddschecker, with most bookmakers pricing them at 4/11. The draw is available at 9/2 and Benfica are 9/1 outsiders.
The bookies believe Tuchel's men will not only triumph on the night but also go through to the next round, favouring them at 4/6. The visitors are close to evens at 11/10 to successfully preserve their slim advantage.
Unsurprisingly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is at the front of the queue in terms of the first goalscorer market at around 9/4, with Andre Schurrle and Ousmane Dembele next at 5/1. The most likely Benfica player to break the deadlock is Kostas Mitroglou, who is priced at 10/1.
GAME PREVIEW
Getty Images
Though it may not be the go-to tie for many neutrals, this clash could turn out to be the most intriguing match of the week in the Champions League.
It is the only matchup of the four played on Tuesday and Wednesday to be separated by just one goal, and regardless of which team scores first - if any - both will still have a chance to progress.
Dortmund are as exciting a young team as you will find in Europe and are fully capable of netting the three goals that would be required should their opponents get on the scoresheet at Signal Iduna Park.
Benfica, too, however, boast plenty of threats and are led by centre forward Kostas Mitroglou, who has scored a remarkable 18 goals in his past 18 games in all competitions.
The loss of Marco Reus is a blow to the hosts and will put the spotlight on star-in-the-making Ousmane Dembele, who is given the freedom to roam in the space behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front. Christian Pulisic is another one to watch, with Thomas Tuchel likely to keep him in reserve as an extra weapon against a tired defence.
Castro: Dortmund better than Benfica
There is hardly a player in Tuchel's line-up that is not attracting interest from at least one top European club and Benfica have a few talents we may be seeing in England or Spain soon, too, with Nelson Semedo and Victor Lindelof reportedly targets of Manchester United.
Whoever emerges from this tie, they will continue to be a wild-card team to watch in the quarter-finals.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
