The two teams met last week in the first leg, and the German club won 2-0 at home. Borussia Dortmund will now look to get the job done away from home in the return leg vs Atalanta on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Atalanta need to overturn the two-goal deficit if they want to reach the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League. This will be a tough outing for La Dea. Overcoming a two-goal deficit will not be easy. It remains to be seen whether the Italian outfit can produce a strong performance at home and turn things around.
Both teams are evenly matched, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. It might be difficult to separate these teams in the end. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Charles De Ketelaere is out with a meniscus injury, and Giacomo Raspadori is sidelined by a muscle strain. Atalanta will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Borussia Dortmund, with Marco Carnesecchi in goal.
Giorgio Scalvini, Isak Hien, and Sead Kolasinac will form the central defensive unit. Menawhile, Raoul Bellanova and Davide Zappacosta will add width, running, and crossing from the wing-back roles.
As for the midfield unit, Ederson and Mario Pasalic will add control and protect against counters. Nicola Zalewski and Kamaldeen Sulemana will add creativity from the attacking midfield role behind Nikola Krstovic, who will lead the line for Atalanta against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, Pasalic, Zappacosta; Zalewski, Sulemana; Krstovic
The away team will be without Emre Can, Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck for the midweek UEFA Champions League clash. Borussia Dortmund will shape up in a 3-4-1-2 formation vs Atalanta, with Gregor Kobel in goal.
In the back three, Waldemar Anton will start alongside Luca Reggiani and Ramy Bensebaini. Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson will start as the wing-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Marcel Sabitzer will start alongside Felix Nmecha, looking to add control and defensive cover to the side from the middle of the park. Maximilian Beier will start in the attacking midfield role and look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third. Finally, Karim Adeyemi will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund alongside Serhou Guirassy.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Anton, Reggiani, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson, Beier; Adeyemi, Guirassy
The Borussia Dortmund striker is in fine form right now, and he is our key player to watch out for. He will look to find the back of the net here and make a defining impact in the final third. The German giants are already coming into this game with a healthy lead, and another goal from their star striker here could more or less wrap up the tie for them.
Guirassy’s finishing prowess and movement could cause all sorts of problems for the Italian outfit. It will be interesting to see if they can contain him. The away side will certainly hope that he can help them progress through to the next round.
Both teams will be fighting for a positive result here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side is likely to sit back and defend. This is going to be an open game with plenty of chances on offer.
The two sides are likely to get on the score sheet, but they will end up cancelling each other out. They are likely to share the spoils in a draw. Borussia Dortmund are likely to progress through to the next round of the competition on the back of their impressive performance in the first leg.
