Dortmund's case for the defence

Each day until 31 December uefa.com will assess the fortunes of a UEFA Cup participant. Today we look at BV Borussia Dortmund.

Despite failing to come through the first group stage of the UEFA Champions League, BV Borussia Dortmund find themselves among the favourites for UEFA Cup glory and strong contenders for the 1. Bundesliga title.

Tough group
Dortmund had to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, a tournament they won in 1997, and had a tough obstacle to overcome in the shape of FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Matthias Sammer's side were untroubled though, winning 2-0 in Ukraine before registering a 3-1 second-leg triumph. That aggregate victory put them into the competition proper and a group with UEFA Cup holders Liverpool FC, Portuguese champions Boavista FC and another Ukrainian team, FC Dynamo Kyiv.

Early scare
The German side found themselves 2-0 down at half-time in their opening game in Kyiv, before Jan Koller and then Marcio Amoroso scored in the second half to earn a creditable draw. Dortmund were then held 0-0 at home by Liverpool on Matchday Two before two games against Boavista, the home side running out 2-1 victors in each.

Rosický winner
Tomáš Rosický then lifted Dortmund hopes of qualification for the second group stage with the only goal when Dynamo visited the Westfalenstadion on Matchday Five. The 21-year-old Czech playmaker produced a moment of magic in the 34th minute to win the game. A sublime piece of skill took him past Dynamo captain Vladyslav Vaschuk before he curled a delightful shot with the outside of his boot inside the near post.

Win or bust
It all meant that Dortmund travelled to Liverpool on Matchday Six knowing that a win would take them through to the next stage. Robbed of key players such as Amoroso and Koller through injury, they went down 2-0 to an in-form Liverpool, who progressed along with Boavista.

København eliminated
Dortmund were left to concentrate on the UEFA Cup, but they were handed a difficult draw in Danish champions FC København. The away leg came first, on 22 November, and Dortmund found it hard to break down their opponents. However, Heiko Herrlich scored a crucial away goal just before the end to give Dortmund a 1-0 advantage. They achieved the same scoreline at home, courtesy of Jan Derek Sørenson's late goal, and progressed 2-0 on aggregate.
 
Lille up next
Sammer's side will face French club Lille OSC, another team eliminated from the Champions League, in the fourth round in February. Should they progress they will meet either Olympique Lyonnais or FC Slovan Liberec in the quarter-finals.

Strong defence
For now, the emphasis is on domestic action and Dortmund have been among the pacesetters in the 1. Bundesliga. For all the goal power of the likes of Amoroso, who has averaged more than a goal every other game, the team's success has been built on a strong defence marshalled by the likes of Christian Wörns and Jürgen Kohler. Naturally for a team coached by former Germany defender Sammer, they have by far the best record in the top flight.