Borussia Dortmund welcome Atalanta to Signal Iduna Park in the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie.
Both teams endured wretched conclusions to the league phase, meaning they slipped out of the top eight, but just a couple of points separated them in the table following the conclusion of a predictably chaotic Matchday 8.
The pair have shone domestically since their respective defeats to Inter and Union Saint-Gilloise, with Dortmund closing the gap on Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga and Atalanta climbing up to sixth in La Liga. La Dea also reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals by virtue of a 3–0 victory over Juventus.
Raffaele Palladino’s side are aiming to reach the last 16 of this competition for just the second time, having fallen at this hurdle to Club Brugge last season. In contrast, Dortmund have reached the round of 16 in six of the seven previous iterations and have an excellent track record on Europe’s biggest stage.
This will be their first meeting since February 2018, when BVB escaped Bergamo with a 1–1 draw that helped them advance in the Europa League.
What Time Does Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta Kick-Off?
- Location: Dortmund, Germany
- Stadium: Signal Iduna Park
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 18
- Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
- Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta Head-to-Head Record (All Games)
- Borussia Dortmund: 1 win
- Atalanta: 0 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last meeting: Atalanta 1–1 Borussia Dortmund (Feb. 22, 2018)—Europa League
Current Form (All Competitions, Last Five Games)
|
Borussia Dortmund (WWWLW) |
Atalanta (WWWDL) |
|---|---|
|
Borussia Dortmund 4–0 Mainz |
Lazio 0–2 Atalanta |
|
Wolfsburg 1–2 Borussia Dortmund |
Atalanta 2–1 Cremonese |
|
Borussia Dortmund 3–2 Heidenheim |
Atalanta 3–0 Juventus |
|
Borussia Dortmund 0–2 Inter |
Como 0–0 Atalanta |
|
Union Berlin 0–3 Borussia Dortmund |
Union Saint-Gilloise 1–0 Atalanta |
How to Watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on TV
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 3, discovery+, discovery+ App |
|
United States |
CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, fuboTV |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
|
Mexico |
FOX One |
Borussia Dortmund Team News
The injuries are starting to pile up for Borussia Dortmund in defence, and Nico Schlotterbeck’s absence on Tuesday night is a big blow. The elegant left footed defender is dealing with a muscle injury.
The hosts are also without Niklas Süle, Emre Can and Filippo Mane through injury.
As a result, Kovać has called up a trio of youngsters from Dortmund’s ’B-list’: Luca Reggiani, Elias Benkara and Danylo Krevsun. Reggiani featured off the bench against Mainz at the weekend, and could come into Kovać’s back three for Atalanta’s visit.
Serhou Guirassy will be looking to reach top gear after a quiet league phase, and he enters the first leg having scored a brace on Saturday. Maximillian Beier worked well in tandem with Guirassy, also finding the back of the net, and the pair could operate together in attack here.
Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineup vs. Atalanta
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup vs. Atalanta (3-5-2): Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Nmecha, Bellingham, Brandt, Svensson; Guirassy, Beier.
Atalanta Team News
Charles De Ketelaere recently underwent surgery on his knee and is set to be sidelined for the next five weeks as a result. The Belgian will thus miss the entirety of this tie, and likely the start of the round of 16 if Palladino’s side advance.
New signing Giacomo Raspadori has enjoyed a bright start to his Atalanta career, having joined from Atlético Madrid in January, but the Italian picked up a knock off the bench at the weekend and could miss the first leg.
Gianluca Scamacca will hope for a return to Palladino’s starting XI on Tuesday night, while Raoul Bellanova could replace Davide Zappacosta at right wing-back.
Atalanta Predicted Lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund
Atalanta predicted lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolašinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Éderson, Zalewski; Samardžić, Sulemana; Scamacca.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta Score Prediction
Both teams are without a key man on Tuesday night, so depth will come into play at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund look particularly vulnerable in defence as a result of their absences, but Atalanta would be better placed to take advantage if De Ketelaere was fit. The Belgian’s injury may force some adjustment from Palladino, who did so effectively at Lazio last time out, but they’re entering a slightly more daunting cauldron in the Ruhr region.
Kovać’s side will lean on a raucous home atmosphere under the lights, but the hosts also have a string of wins behind them, including Saturday’s 4–0 beatdown of the improving Mainz. While Atalanta have built some momentum, too, Dortmund will edge the first leg at home.