Dortmund vs AC Milan: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Can the Yellow Wall stop the Rossoneri?

The 'Group of Death' of this season's Champions League, Group F will see two of its heavyweights lock horns on Wednesday. Dortmund is all set to welcome AC Milan at Signal Iduna Park. Both of these teams will be looking for their first wins when they will face each other. In their last games, Dortmund lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, and Milan had a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United.

While the Germans succumbed to the Parc de Princes pressure, the Italians felt just short of grabbing a winner against a fresh Newcastle side. at the San Siro. Now, as they get ready to face each other, there seems to be a new European rivalry broiling. It is just not about the player battles on the pitch, but it is also set to bring out a lot from the managers on the sidelines as well.

Kick-off

Wednesday, 4 October 2023, 8 PM GMT

Thursday, 5 October 2023, 12:30 AM IST

Location- Signal Iduna Park

Form

Dortmund (in all competitions): D-D-W-L-W-W

AC Milan (in all competitions): W-L-D-W-W-W

Players to watch

Donyell Malen (Dortmund)

The 24-year-old Dutch forward has featured in all the games for the German outfit this season. And rightly so! Donyell Malen is fast, and agile and is a threader of passes in behind defences. In 7 games for Dortmund, across all tournaments, so far he has 3 goals to his name. Fans will be hoping for him to add a goal or two against the upcoming opposition.

Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)

Don't be fooled by his age! Olivier Giroud, a 36-year-old French striker, is proving that age is just a number. He's scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists in 6 league games, showing he's still at a high level in European leagues. Given his current form, the manager can't afford to bench him. He's an invaluable asset to his team, even at his age.

Match facts

• Milan last played Borussia Dortmund in 2002-03, winning both games 1-0, and later clinched the Champions League.
• Milan usually does well against German teams, only losing twice in 14 Champions League matches - to Hertha BSC in 1999 and Borussia Dortmund in 2003.
• Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on MD1 was a rare occurrence, happening only once before in the 2017-18 season.

Injury and team news

Dortmund team news

Bensebaini faces a domestic ban, but for now, he's fit to play for Dortmund this week. Unfortunately, Mateu Morey and Thomas Meunier are sidelined due to knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. Terzic hopes Marcel Sabitzer will return to training soon, but his availability against Milan remains uncertain. Salih Ozcan could step in to fill the void. Emre Can, a former Liverpool player, is expected to partner with Ozcan in midfield. The question remains whether Reus's recent goal will be enough to keep Karim Adeyemi on the bench.

AC Milan team news

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to miss the next two matches due to an abdominal injury. Milan faces a midfield dilemma as Ismael Bennacer and Rade Krunic are also sidelined. Yunus Musah is expected to join Tijjani Reijnders in the midfield, with either Tommaso Pobega or Yacine Adli completing the trident. Mattia Caldara and Pierre Kalulu are also nursing injuries. Pulisic's recent goal increases his chances of starting on the right flank against his former club.

Head-to-head

Total matches: 4

Dortmund wins: 1

AC Milan wins: 2

Draws: 1

Predicted lineup for Dortmund vs AC Milan

Dortmund Predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ozcan, Can, Brandt; Malen, Fullkrug, Adeyemi

AC Milan Predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Musah, Adli, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao

Match prediction

Home support like none other, the Yellow Wall always brings in the heat whenever called upon. Dortmund has been unbeaten at home since August 2022. So, we predict another Dortmund victory against AC Milan.

Prediction: Dortmund 1 - 0 AC Milan

Telecast details

India – Sony Sports Network

UK – TNT Sports

US – CBS, TUDN

Nigeria – SuperSport