Borussia Dortmund vs AC Milan

Signal Iduna Park forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Champions League showdown between Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of progressing beyond the Champions League group stages for the second season running were off to a sluggish start as they lost 2-0 at Ligue 1 holders PSG on matchday one. Edin Terzic’s men have at least done well to recover from a lackluster performance in Paris, stringing together back-to-back Bundesliga wins, including a 3-1 triumph at TSG Hoffenheim at the weekend. Despite their patchy six-game form in all competitions (W3, D2, L1), ‘Die Borussen’ will be confident about avoiding defeat here after going unbeaten in their last 22 home outings (W17, D5) in a run stretching back to August 2022. They’ve excelled in translating their domestic supremacy at Signal Iduna Park to the continental front, as evidenced by an impressive record of just one defeat across their last 15 home matches in the Champions League group stages (W9, D5).

In the meantime, AC Milan had to settle for a gut-wrenching 0-0 home draw against Newcastle United on the opening day despite attempting 25 shots on goal, including eight on target. But Stefano Pioli’s men have since rediscovered their scoring boots, stitching together three successive Serie A wins by an aggregate score of 6-1, including a 2-0 home triumph over Lazio at the weekend. Milan’s resurgence in form bodes well for their effort to defy a woeful run of just seven wins across their last 26 Champions League matches (D8, L11). ‘I Rossoneri’ can seek more inspiration from their solid all-time European record against German adversaries (W17, D11, L9). Yet, it’s worth noting their last such encounter dates back to 2008/09.