1964, 1994 and now 2019 - these are the years in which BVB and Inter Milan have gone head-to-head in Europe. The Black & Yellows will be hoping it's third time lucky as they look to secure a first-ever home win against the giants of Italian football. Three points would put Dortmund in a commanding position in the battle for progression to the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League. Here are all the facts you need to know ahead of the big match in Group F. 

History

  • Prior to the most recent matchday of this season's Champions League, the last meeting between the two sides was in the Quarter-Finals of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup. Inter - who ultimately lifted the trophy after defeating Salzburg in the final - ran out 3-1 winners in Dortmund in the first leg. In the second leg, Borussia seemed to be on track for a famous comeback after taking a 2-0 lead. Matthias Sammer came agonisingly close to putting the Black & Yellows ahead on aggregate but his effort on goal was denied by the woodwork. Antonio Manicone then popped up in the 80th minute to pull one back for the Italians.
  • Inter also came out on top back in April 1964, when the two clubs went head-to-head in the Semi-Finals of the European Cup. Nothing could separate the two sides as they played out a 2-2 draw at the Rote Erde in the first leg. However, the Italian giants proved too strong on home soil, winning 2-0 in the San Siro to book their place in the final. The Nerazzurri ultimately defeated Real Madrid 3-1 and in doing so secured the first ever major European trophy in club history.
  • BVB's most recent European encounter with Italian opposition dates back to the 2017/18 season, when the Black & Yellows defeated Atalanta 4-3 on aggregate (3-2 at home, 1-1 away) in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.

The scenario

  • Borussia Dortmund have only lost one of their last five home matches in the UEFA Champions League.
  • The Black & Yellows' overall home record against Serie A clubs is somewhat mixed: six wins, three draws and seven defeats.
  • Inter have only won two of their last 13 matches away in Europe, drawing four and losing the remaining seven. These seven defeats have all come in their last 10 matches.
  • After losing the first tie 2-0, the only way BVB will be able to pull ahead of Inter in the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two sides is by winning Tuesday's match by at least three goals.
  • Even if they aren't able to better Inter in the head-to-head, three points will still but Borussia in a solid position going into the last two matches of the group. If the Black & Yellows are able to win their two remaining home games (against Inter and Slavia Prague), Inter will then have to win both of their last two matches (away in Prague and at home to Barcelona) to have any chance of finishing ahead of BVB.

Inter Milan

  • FC Internazionale, more commonly known as Inter Milan, finished fourth in the 2018/19 Serie A. Their 2010 UEFA Champions League triumph marked the last time Europe's elite club competition was won by an Italian club.
  • This season marks the 13th time that Inter have participated in the group phase of the Champions League. Last season marked their return to the competition after an absence dating back to the 2011/12 season.
  • Their 2-0 victory over BVB in October ended a run of six Champions League matches without a win.
  • The Italian giants have failed to win any of their last three matches away in Germany (one draw, two defeats). Their 3-2 win away to Bayern Munich in March 2011 was the last time they managed to defeat a Bundesliga club across their eight most recent matches on German soil (overall record: one win, three draws, four defeats).
  • At just 17 years and 113 days old, Sebastiano Esposito became the youngest-ever player to represent Inter in the Champions League. Esposito is the youngest player to represent the club in Europe since Giuseppe Bergomi, who donned the famous black and blue jersey in the 1980/81 European Cup when he was just 17 years and 93 days old.

Borussia Dortmund

  • Roman Bürki has only conceded once in his last five UEFA Champions League matches in Signal Iduna Park. This was against Tottenham Hotspur in a 1-0 defeat in last season's Round of 16. The other results from this run of matches are as follows: 3-0 against AS Monaco, 4-0 against Atlético Madrid, 0-0 against FC Bruges and 0-0 against Barcelona.
  • The Black & Yellows are competing in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the 14th time in club history. BVB have managed to progress to the knock-out stages in five of their last six attempts.
  • BVB have won six of their eight home matches across all competitions this season, drawing two and losing none.
  • Axel Witsel made his 50th Champions League appearance in the 2-0 defeat in Milan. (br)