UCL 2020/21: Lazio vs. Borussia Dortmund

It is that time again: The UEFA Champions League goes into its next season. There are several top teams playing against each other on matchday 1 already. One of the probably most interesting matches is the fixture between Lazio and Borussia Dortmund in Group F. The kick-off is on Tuesday in the Stadio Olympico in Rome.

The hosts had a bad start into the new season with only four points in three matches in Serie A and therefore, they are only ranked 9^th in the league. Dortmund lost the Super Cup final against their big rivals FC Bayern but could win three out of four matches in Bundesliga.

In this tactical analysis, we will take a closer look at the tactics of both coaches. Furthermore, this analysis will show how the coaches might line up their teams.

Line-ups

Currently, both teams have big issues with injuries. Lazio will miss Silvio Proto, Luiz Felipe, Stefan Radu, Bastos, Sofian Kiyine, Manuel Lazzari, Andreas Pereira and their captain Senad Lulic because of injuries or cross-competition suspension. Their top goalscorer and former BVB-player Ciro Immobile is ready to play after he missed three matches because of a red card in Serie A.

Dortmund is forced to play without Dan-Axel Zagadou and Marcel Schmelzer while Manuel Akanji, Łukasz Piszczek and Thorgan Hazard are still struck. Emre Can will miss the match as well since he got a red card against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League last year. That is why Favre might line up central defensive midfielder Thomas Delaney as centre-back. A change from a back-five to a back-four seems as another option likely to happen.

Lazio´s compact shape

Lazio try to close up space in central areas on the pitch. Their two forwards and three central midfielders form a pentagon in these areas to force their opponents to play out wide. For Dortmund, this means that their central midfielders will need to be creative in open up space through creative runs out of the center.

In the image below, Inter is in possession and their centre-backs try to build up the game from the back. Since Lazio closed up the space in the center, Inter´s midfielders had to react and move quickly. While Roberto Gagliardini dropped deep into the backline to receive the ball, Nicolo Barella dropped from his central offensive midfield position into a deeper position in midfield. Only Arturo Vidal stayed within Lazio´s compact pentagon shape.