Borussia Dortmund play host to Barcelona at Westfalenstadion on Tuesday in one of the most mouth-watering matches of Champions League Matchday 1.
Lucien Favre’s side sit second in the Bundesliga with nine points through four matches, but have been thrilling to watch going forward, netting 13 times and chalking up some big wins.
Barca, meanwhile, have had a mixed start to their Primera Division campaign and have yet to win away from home this season. However, a 5-2 win over Valencia at the weekend should have boosted their spirits ahead of this encounter.
| Game | Dortmund vs Barcelona |
| Date | Tuesday, September 17 |
| Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| TNT USA / UniMas | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the UK, the match will be shown on BT Sport ESPN and can be streamed via BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport ESPN | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Dortmund squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Burki, Hitz, Oelschlagel |
| Defenders | Zagadou, Hakimi, Guerreiro, Hummels, Akanji, Balerdi, Morey, Piszczek, Schmelzer, Weigl |
| Midfielders | Delaney, Dahoud, Gotze, Reus, Brandt, Hazard, Witsel, Reyna, Bruun Larsen, Raschl |
| Forwards | Sancho, Alcacer |
Dortmund are missing only Timo Schultz due to suspension before this match.
Head coach Lucien Favre has chosen former Barcelona forward Paco Alcacer at the forefront of his team, with the Spaniard having scored in every game he has played this season.
Lukasz Piszczek has been struggling with injury of late and does not make the starting XI.
Confirmed Dortmund starting XI: Burki, Hakimi, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro, Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Reus, Hazard, Alcacer.
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Pena, Neto |
| Defenders | Pique, Lenglet, Semedo, Alba, Wague, Firpo, Todibo |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur, Rafinha, Roberto, De Jong, Vidal, Alena |
| Forwards | Griezmann, Perez, Messi, Fati, Suarez |
Barcelona welcome back Lionel Messi to their matchday squad, though it is too much of the Argentine to start this match after more than a month out.
Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti are both missing, however.
Ansu Fati gets a start after scoring two goals in three La Liga appearances, while Luis Suarez is in the first 11 for the first time this season.
Confirmed Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, De Jong, Busquets, Arthur, Fati, Suarez, Griezmann.
Betting & Match Odds
Barcelona are marginal 29/20 favourites to win this match with bet365 . Dortmund are priced at 17/10 while the draw is on offer at 13/5.
Match Preview
Alex Caparros
Borussia Dortmund’s home Champions League clash with Barcelona on Tuesday at Westfalenstadion has all the makings of a classic.
Both teams have already shown themselves this season to be capable of exceptional offensive exploits, while they both have their weaknesses at the back.
Over the course of the season, the respective coaches will hope to strike something of a better equilibrium, but for the moment there are few teams more thrilling to watch in European football.
BVB returned from the international break on Saturday with a crushing 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, their third in four Bundesliga matches this term, with Marco Reus grabbing a second-half double.
Barcelona, meanwhile, hit five against Copa del Rey champions Valencia – and that was without Lionel Messi.
The Argentine has been working normally with the squad ahead of this match, but while his participation has been placed in doubt, hype has grown surrounding Ansu Fati, who announced himself as a potential success against Los Che.
“Becoming a Barcelona player is not straightforward,” coach Ernesto Valverde said. “It’s not normal to score with your first touch, give an assist with your second and almost score with your third.”
It took the Guinea Bissau-born star a matter of seconds to open his account for the club, but while he could be Barca’s future, Messi very much remains their present.
“Without Messi, they play differently,” Favre asserted. “They always come out with a 4-3-3 and against Valencia they played very well with Ansu Fati, a young 16-year-old player, and Antoine Griezmann. They are still good, with or without Messi.
“We need to be focused for 90 or 95 minutes. We must try to press them and be bold, but we also have to defend very well, which will be very important.”
Meanwhile, Valverde, who watched his side collapse spectacularly to a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool having won the first leg 3-0 in the semi-finals, has stressed that it is how the team finishes rather than starts that is more important in this competition.
“Last year we won eight or nine games, we lost one and we didn't reach the final,” he noted. “The two teams in the final lost more games than us.
“The important thing is to get back up. That belongs to the past and now the future begins.
“Football always gives you another chance.”
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