Preview

January 29, Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park, 22:00
Live: Megogo

History and path to the UCL

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund was founded in 1909 and is considered one of the giants of German football. Throughout their history, the team have won the German Championship 8 times (most recently in 2012), lifted the domestic Cup 5 times and claimed 6 Super Cups. Additionally, they triumphed in the UEFA Champions League (1997) and the Intercontinental Cup (1997). In the 2023/24 season, the Black-and-Yellows finished in 5th spot in the Bundesliga, which allowed them to qualify for the Champions League.

2024/25 season

Borussia Dortmund started their European Cup journey this season with stunning victories over Club Brugge (3-0) and Celtic (7-1), then lost to Real Madrid (2-5), beat Sturm (1-0) and Dinamo Zagreb (3-0), but in the last two matches they suffered defeats against Barcelona (2-3) and Bologna (1-2). Ahead of the last round of the Champions League league phase, Dortmund are in 14th spot in the standings with 12 points (goal difference: 19-11). The Black-and-Yellows have already secured a place in the play-offs, but if they win, they have a chance to get directly to the Round of 16 of the tournament.

In the German Bundesliga, the BVB's fortunes are not so positive: they have 26 points (goal difference: 34-33) and are in 11th spot in the table after 19 matches. However, the gap from the Champions League zone is not catastrophic – only 6 points. In the last round, the Prussians hosted Werder Bremen at home: already in the 21st minute, Dortmund were reduced to ten men after Schlotterbeck was sent off, but despite this they scored twice (a goal from Guirassy and an own goal from the opponents), but they could not preserve their advantage – 2-2.

Squad and leaders

The match against Werder Bremen marked Mike Tullberg's debut as Borussia Dortmund's acting head coach. The 39-year-old specialist temporarily replaces Nuri Sahin, who was fired in mid-January. Tullberg has been working in the club system since 2019, and has been coaching the U19 team for the last 4 years. The captain of the Black-and-Yellows is 31-year-old Emre Can. Leaders of the team also include goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, defenders Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensabaini, as well as experienced midfielders Julian Brandt and Pascal Groß. The most prolific players this season are Guinean forward Serhou Guirassy (15 goals, 5 assists) and 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens (11 goals, 5 assists).

Head-to-head record

Shakhtar and B. Dortmund have met 4 times in competitive matches. The first time was in the third qualifying round of the Champions League in 2001/02, when Dortmund proved stronger in both games (2-0 and 3-1). In the 2012/13 season, the rivals played already in the Champions League Round of 16: the first leg in Donetsk ended in a 2-2 draw, while the return leg in Germany saw the hosts claim a 3-0 victory.

The B. Dortmund vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by the judging panel from Sweden: referee Glenn Nyberg, assistants Mahbod Beigi and Andreas Soderkvist, with Dennis Higler as the video assistant referee.