Borussia Dortmund v Benfica: line-ups, where to watch, form guide
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Article summary
Dortmund must overcome a thorny 1-0 deficit against Benfica to reach the quarter-finals and, Thomas Tuchel says, whatever happens his side won't go down without a fight.
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Article body
- Benfica lead 1-0 with Kostas Mitroglou goal from 14 February first leg
- Mitroglou has scored 18 in his last 17 outings for Eagles
- Dortmund have won all five previous home games against Portuguese sides
- BVB beat Benfica's Lisbon rivals Sporting CP 1-0 at home in group stage
Possible line-ups
Dortmund: Bürki; Piszczek, Sokratis, Bartra; Durm, Dembélé, Weigl, Guerreiro, Schmelzer; Aubameyang, Schürrle.
Out: Reus (harmstring), Rode (groin), Götze (illness), Bender (ankle)
Doubtful: Guerreiro (thigh)
Misses next match if booked: Guerreiro, Schmelzer
Benfica: Ederson; Nélson Semedo, Luisão, Lindelöf, Eliseu; Samaris, Pizzi, Salvio, Živković; Jonas, Mitroglou.
Out: Fejsa (ankle)
Misses next match if booked: Pizzi, Fejsa, Samaris
Where to watch
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.
Thomas Tuchel, Dortmund coach
If I were coach of Chelsea, Juve or Atlético, maybe I would come up with a different answer. But when the floodlights go on tomorrow night in Dortmund and all the people are supporting us, then it is all about the attack.
We have to put the first leg behind us. That would be the case even if we'd won. We always focus on the joy of creating chances and scoring goals. We feel we can do it – our time is now.
I cannot tell you how we will replace Marco Reus. He is a real loss, he was in outstanding form.
Rui Vitoría, Benfica coach
The teams know each other better now, and that will have implications for the tactics used. The same goes for our holding a 1-0 lead. Some things could have been better in the first leg, but we got a lot right. It wasn't just any team we were up against.
We know the implications of an away goal. Dortmund are an attacking side who want to beat us. But we are ready for them. We have our own attacking capabilities to showcase.
Weekend results
Dortmund 6-2 Leverkusen (Dembélé 6, Aubameyang 26 69, Pulišić 77, Schürrle 85, Raphaël Guerreiro 90+2; Volland 48, Wendell 74)
Dortmund made it three Bundesliga wins in a row since their first-leg loss in Lisbon. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double took him to 21 top-flight goals this term.
Feirense 0-1 Benfica (Pizzi 42)
Benfica maintained their place at the head of the Portuguese Liga with a seventh straight win in all competitions. Pizzi had not found the net since January.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Dortmund: WWWLLD
Benfica: WWWWWW
Reporter's view: Steffen Potter (@UEFAcomSteffenP)
The first leg was harsh on Dortmund, but 12 goals in three outings since suggest that Tuchel may be right when he says this game "comes at the right time for us". Aubameyang will be eager to make up for his misses in Portugal, including the spot kick, and there are surely goals in this. One may well come for Benfica, which would make for a very interesting evening. Losing Reus and potentially Raphaël Guerreiro too could also prove too much for the Black and Yellows.
Did you know?
Dortmund have won eight of the 15 UEFA ties in which they lost the first leg away from home. Find out more in our extensive match background.