I could sit here and write this preview as a realist with “there is no coming back for Borussia Dortmund and we should rotate to keep players fresh for the Bundesliga”. That, however, is extraordinarily boring. I instead invite you suspend disbelief with me for a moment as we cook up the greatest comeback in Champions League history…

Borussia Dortmund can perform a comeback tomorrow but it’ll take a lot of tenacity, a lackluster performance from Barcelona, and a whole lot of luck. The good news is that Dortmund have been ironing out the kinks since Schlotterbeck’s injury. We learned that a back-four is nearly untenable against world-class teams in the first leg and that Borussia Dortmund can create opportunities outside of fast-breaks in their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich. So – how do we take that and build a comeback? Here are some step-by-step instructions!

Easy-to-follow instruction on how to perform the greatest comeback in football history:

Step One: Don’t Concede

This one is pretty obvious. Borussia Dortmund have dug themselves a deep abyss in which they have to dig themselves out of. The first, and most important step, is to not make that hole any bigger. That will be easier said than done considering Europe’s best attacking contingent is coming to town.

Step Two: Create from Midfield

Barcelona are at their best in wide open matches when midfields collapse and their attackers can play direct with space. Borussia Dortmund have proven that they are dangerous in transition but will find better success in this match if they maintain some sort of control and create chances from midfield. The good news? Pascal Gross will be available for this match and it appears that Chukwuemeka will be playing from the start. These two have proven themselves as creators.

Step Three: Keep Guirassy Involved

Serhou Guirassy got a lot of flack in Dortmund’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona because the striker struggled to take his chances. That being said, he is still Dortmund’s most lethal attacker and Kovac’s side play better when Guirassy is in the box, getting shots off, and creating chaos. We saw how his ability to create space in box led to Dortmund’s equalizer yesterday and should be hoping for more of the same tomorrow.

Step Four: Take their Chances

The final step is the simplest one – score goals. Borussia Dortmund created three big chances in Barcelona and this tie would look very different if they managed to put some of those away. They need to score at least four goals and the only way to do that is to make the most of any opportunity that falls Dortmund’s way.

Player to Watch: Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski and Raphinha were competing against one another to steal the headlines against Borussia Dortmund in the reverse fixture as both players ravaged Dortmund’s backline. As mentioned above, Borussia Dortmund cannot concede if they want any chance of winning this game and Robert Lewandowski tends to score… a lot. It will be up to Waldermar Anton, Emre Can, and Niklas Süle to keep him quiet.

Predicted Lineup: 5-3-2

Reports from Dortmund’s final pre-match and Kovac’s press conference indicate that we should expect a line-up like the one above. Kovac loosely committed to a back five after the success in Munich and we should expect Anton and Süle to start. Emre Can was missing in the training sessions due to illness but will start if he can recover in time. If not, then we should expect Rami Bensebaini on the left side of Dortmund’s back three. Ryerson and Svensson should start as wing-backs until they are run into the ground. Midfield is where the intrigue lies. Pascal Gross is back after missing the away leg and Felix Nmecha is expected to start ahead of Özcan after being rested in Munich. Chukwuemeka has been playing as the number 10 in training and seems to have finally dethroned Julian Brandt as the furthest point in Dortmund’s midfield triangle. Beier and Guirassy should start in attack with Karim Adeyemi as an option off the bench.

Score Predictions: 6-1 Borussia Dortmund

We no longer write score predictions for these match previews but it only seems right to reaffirm my baseless belief that the greatest UCL comeback.

Your Thoughts

What are your score predictions tomorrow? Can Dortmund come-back? Will we witness history or should we snap back to reality and admit that Dortmund will lose this tie.

Update:

Both Emre Can and Carney Chukwuemeka will miss today’s match.