UEFA Champions League 2019/20: Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain – tactical preview

The highly anticipated round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League kicks off tomorrow with Liverpool taking on Atlético Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and Paris Saint-Germain taking on Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion. The expectation is that Atlético Madrid vs Liverpool might be a cagey affair, and fans will be hoping that Dortmund vs PSG will be anything but, despite the fact that the last time the two sides met in the Europa League, the final result was a goalless draw. That was back in 2010 though, and a lot can change in a decade. Both teams have evolved into two powerhouse teams with star players, but still have had little success in this competition, with Dortmund only winning the competition once back in 1997, and PSG having never won the prestigious European honour. This tactical analysis will look at where the first leg of this matchup could be won or lost.

Expected Lineups 

The home side will likely set up in a 3-4-3, a formation that Swiss manager Lucien Favre has recently employed his team. It may be a risk to have his side set up in a relatively new formation against the French champions, this new formation has brought them fantastic results with four out five wins in the league since the winter break. The one loss in the league came from when Favre resorted back to a back four.

Favre has a full squad to work with barring three players: Thomas Delaney, Marco Reus, and Julian Brandt who are out due to injuries. Favres expected lineup is somewhat easy to predict, especially if he goes with the 3-4-3 formation. The only question mark comes from which centrebacks start alongside Hummels. While Łukasz Piszczek does have the experience, which will be needed for a match as important as this one, the pace of Paris Saint-Germains frontline may be too much for a 34-year-old. This reason alone may be enough for Favre to trust Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji over the Polish centre-back.

The away teams set up is a bit more difficult to predict solely because German coach Thomas Tuchel has been much more fluid in how he has set up this season, constantly experimenting with different formations. Tuchel does have a couple of injuries to his squad with Presnel Kimpembe, Abdou Diallo, and Colin Dagba not fit enough to play. Neymar may also not be fully fit, but it is likely that he will play because of the importance of the match.

Tuchel may set his team up in a 4-4-2, which features all four of PSGs stars in attack: Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, and Ángel Di María. All four players have shone this season, especially when they play together. However, it leaves PSG specifically fragile defensively.