Pre-Match Report
The facts on the match away to Sporting
Scenario: While BVB narrowly missed out on direct qualification for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League by one point, finishing in tenth place in the league phase, Sporting secured the penultimate ticket for the knockout matches with a 1-1 draw against Bologna in twenty-third place. The Portuguese side had made an extremely strong start to the competition, picking up ten points from their first four games.
This season: Borussia Dortmund won five of their eight games in the league phase (3-0 in Bruges, 7-1 against Celtic, 1-0 against Graz, 3-0 in Zagreb and 3-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk). Defeats came away to Real Madrid (5-2), at home to Barcelona (3-2) and away to Bologna (2-1). Sporting started with a 2-0 win against Lille, a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven, a 2-0 win in Graz and an emphatic statement in the form of a 4-1 victory over Manchester City. This was followed by four games without a win: a 5-1 loss at the hands of Arsenal, a 2-1 loss in Bruges, a 2-1 loss in Leipzig and, most recently, a 1-1 draw against Bologna.
Head-to-head record: Borussia have played 14 of their 308 European matches to date against teams from Portugal. This has resulted in nine wins and five defeats. There has not yet been a draw. BVB have always prevailed in knockout matches: in 1963 and 2017 against Benfica and 2016 against FC Porto. The Black & Yellows have met Sporting twice in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. On 18 October 2016, BVB won 2-1 at the Estádio José Alvalade XXI after goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Julian Weigl. Two weeks later, Adrian Ramos netted for a 1-0 home win. On 28 September 2021, a goal from Donyell Malen was also enough to secure a 1-0 win. Borussia lost the second fixture 3-1 and were thereby eliminated from the competition.
Borussia facts: BVB have two of the four away matches in this Champions League season: in Bruges (3-0) and in Zagreb (3-0). Last season, the Black & Yellows also won in Newcastle (1-0), Milan (3-1) and Paris (1-0), giving them a positive record in their last ten Champions League away games (five wins, one draw, four defeats). BVB have won twice on their previous visits to Portugal, both in 2016: first 1-0 in the Europa League away to FC Porto in February and then the aforementioned 2-1 win at Sporting in October.
Sporting facts: After Barcelona, Sporting CP are the second most successful sports club in Europe in terms of titles and trophies won across all the sports they play. Champions 20 times in football, cup winners 17 times and winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964, the club have played 31 matches against teams from Germany, winning only four of them. Six games ended in draws and 21 have been lost. Sporting have never beaten a German opponent in a knockout round.
Europe's elite: This is Sporting's eleventh appearance in the UEFA Champions League. Their best performances has been reaching the round of 16 twice: first in 2008/09, when they lost 5-0 and then 7-1 to Bayern Munich; again in 2021/22, when they faced Manchester City, losing 5-0 in the first leg and then drawing 0-0 in the second. BVB are appearing in the competition for the ninth time in a row and the 19th time overall (only 09 clubs have been there more often), reaching the knockout round in nine of their last 11 appearances and the final three times (winners in 1997, finalists in 2013 and 2024).
Compiled by Boris Rupert