Borussia Dortmund is banking on a robust efficiency within the Champions League to salvage their season as they journey to France for the second leg of their last-16 matchup in opposition to Lille, following a hard-fought 1-1 draw final week.

Karim Adeyemi initially put Dortmund forward within the first leg with a purpose within the first half, however Hakon Haraldsson’s equalizer has tilted the steadiness barely in favor of Lille because the groups gear as much as battle on the Stade Pierre-Mauroy as soon as extra.

Struggling within the Bundesliga, Dortmund just lately suffered a 1-0 defeat at residence to Augsburg, leaving them in a disappointing tenth place, seven factors behind the highest 4 and 4 factors away from a possible European spot for the following season.

Regardless of the struggles, there have been promising indicators after Niko Kovac’s appointment as head coach following Nuri Sahin’s dismissal on the finish of January. Kovac efficiently guided Dortmund previous Portuguese champions Sporting within the play-off spherical.

Nevertheless, their kind has dipped, with three losses in 5 Bundesliga matches, together with the setback in opposition to Augsburg that was lower than ideally suited forward of their journey to northern France.

Lille, however, pulled off a shocking victory in opposition to Actual Madrid at residence and netted six objectives in opposition to Feyenoord, exceeding expectations all through the league part.

The Ligue 1 group is now keen to achieve the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier membership competitors for the very first time.

– Looking for Silver Linings –

For Dortmund, exiting at this stage would symbolize a big regression after final yr’s journey to the finals, the place they fell quick in opposition to Madrid at Wembley.

“I don’t wish to be detrimental about this match,” Kovac said proper after the defeat to Augsburg.

“We carried out effectively within the earlier two Bundesliga video games and the primary half in opposition to Lille, so that provides me optimism.

“As a coach, it’s essential to determine positives, even in a loss,” added Kovac, who returns to France for the primary time since being let go by Monaco in early 2022.

Dortmund, who triumphed over PSG 1-0 within the semi-finals throughout their final go to to France, can be with out Swedish defender Daniel Svensson, who sustained an harm late within the first leg.

They are going to depend on Serhou Guirassy, who has scored 10 objectives on this Champions League season, as he faces the membership he performed for throughout the 2015/16 season.

“I consider we have now the higher hand now,” Lille’s Icelandic worldwide Haraldsson remarked following the primary leg.

Lille boasts a robust residence file of solely two losses in 20 matches this season, although this doesn’t issue of their French Cup defeat on penalties to second-tier Dunkerque.

This tie might probably be determined by penalties if the rating stays degree after 90 minutes or further time—Lille confronted the same destiny final season within the Europa Convention League, the place they had been knocked out in penalties by Aston Villa within the quarter-finals.

Lille has beforehand confronted elimination at this stage of the Champions League, shedding to Manchester United in 2007 and Chelsea in 2022.

The group who prevails on Wednesday will transfer on to the quarter-finals to face both Barcelona or Benfica.

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