AC Milan will take to the field at the Signal Iduna Park for the first time in 21 years tonight as they take on Borussia Dortmund in the second Champions League group stage game.
Milan’s recent league form is encouraging with three wins on the bounce including six goals scored and just one conceded, but they need to get a victory on the board in Europe after PSG beat Dortmund in their first game and the Rossoneri drew 0-0 with Newcastle.
The result tonight could well come down to some key battles, starting with the one between Yunus Musah and Marco Reus. Reus has been playing a more central role under Edin Terzic and he has scored three goals in the Bundesliga this season, making him arguably their main threat.
Meanwhile, Milan are without both Ismael Bennacer and Rade Krunic who are the most natural deep-lying midfielders in the squad, so the task should fall on Musah’s shoulders. He has played as a No.6 for the USA and has performed well – a performance of maximum concentration is the order of the night.
The other big threat BVB have had so far in Bundesliga action has been Donyell Malen out on the right, who was actually linked with a move to Milan when he was playing for PSV Eindhoven as a centre-forward.
He will try to add to his three goals for the season in a duel with Theo Hernandez, but he must also contribute in the non-possession phase so as not to put Ryerson under too much pressure, especially with the supporting runs from Tijjani Reijnders.
At 34 years of age and with 13 major honours to his name, there isn’t much that Mats Hummels hasn’t seen. However, someone with Rafael Leao‘s explosive pace, skill, shooting and creativity might be on the very short list.
The Portuguese winger will likely play off Olivier Giroud and Milan will hope that they manage to get him in isolation with Hummels where possible, especially if Ryerson pushes up. Leao’s speed over short and long distances could be a real issue for the veteran German international.
Christian Pulisic’s 50th appearance in the Champions League beckons, and he will feel this game a bit more than the others. The winger played 127 games for Dortmund, scoring 19 goals and providing 26 assists. He will be welcomed back to the Westfalenstadion, but he wants to leave with three points and having added to his three goals for the Rossoneri.
His opponent will be Ramy Bensebaini, who Dortmund welcomed on a free transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach over the summer. The 28-year-old is more likely to tuck in to a three allowing Ryerson to push forward, and that matches up with the central areas that Pulisic likes to try exploit.
The biggest headline during the summer transfer window was the sale of Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid for €103m, and that allowed Dortmund to fund three investments, the first being Felix Nmecha who basically arrived to replace Bellingham from Wolfsburg for €30m.
The 22-year-old is yet to score for BVB, but what better occasion to get off the mark. We believe Musah will play as the No.6 and Reijnders on the left of the three, leaving Tommaso Pobega as the man tracking the German midfielder. It will be a big test for Pobega, though his physicality and work rate could be crucial in winning the midfield battle amid a bit of an injury crisis there.
