Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has had a difficult year domestically
(Imago Bundesliga)
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by Eric Krakauer
It has been eighteen years since Juventus and Dortmund last played each other. That game just so happened to be the 1997 Champions League final, which Dortmund won 3 – 1.
Juventus will come into this tie feeling the most pressure out of the two teams. Winners of three Serie A Scudetti in a row, and looking very much like the team will add a fourth this year, Juventus want to prove that they can compete with the rest of Europe’s bad boys. And there’s no reason they shouldn’t. And they are at home.
Very few teams can boast a starting eleven as rich in talent as the Bianconeri. Yet, while Juventus fields stars in every sector, it is its midfield that dictates the team’s fortunes. The versatility of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo allows for very fluid positional interchanges that make the midfielders hard to mark. Massimiliano Allegri has usually opted to lineup in a diamond formation, which gets the most out his players. Pirlo sits deep with enough space to orchestrate, while all-round players, Pogba, Vidal, and Marchisio do much of the grunt work ahead of him.
Dortmund has had an atypical season. A regular Bundesliga challenger, the German team has spent much of the season flirting with relegation, only just recently being able to string a good run of form. Curiously, though, Dortmund’s league troubles didn’t translate into the Champions League group stage, which Jurgen Klopp’s men finished in first, ahead of Arsenal.
So far, February has proved a very good month for BVB. Three wins out of four, including ten goals, and a return to the kind of counterattacking football that has turned Klopp into one of the most sought after coaches in Europe, suggests that Dortmund is close to the team that reached the Champions League final, just under two years ago. Still, not all is rainbows and unicorns. Klopp still has to tighten up his defense, which has been the team’s weakest sector.
Key Tactical Points:
Given Dortmund’s league position, and the fact that they’re playing at home, Juventus will need to take the game to Dortmund. That means that Pirlo and co. will attempt to establish the tempo they’re comfortable with, and hope to deter Dortmund’s blistering counterattacks.
Dortmund will gladly sit back and look for opportunities to wreak havoc with their pace. One key advantage for the Germans is that Juventus lack some pace in the center of defense. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are excellent defenders, but they will have trouble dealing with the speed of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus. Pirlo will probably have difficulties matching up with them, as well.
Key Matchup:
Paul Pogba and Ilkay Gundogan
Pogba has developed into one of the most complete players. The Frenchman is strong, fast, and has an eye for goal. More impressive, though, is his tactical awareness, which is uncanny for a twenty-one year old. Gundogan will in all probability be tasked with watching the French star, and his ability to control him will be decisive. However, it will work the other way too. Gundogan is a rugged player, but he is also very technically gifted.
Prediction: 2-1
Juventus should benefit from a few defensive lapses, but Dortmund’s knack for catching opponents on the counter will earn them an away goal.
