Borussia Dortmund could be a contender in this year’s Champions League campaign

Dortmund sits at the top of Group A after a convincing 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Could the German giants be a serious contender in the Champions League this year?

Dortmund stunned Diego Simeone’s side on Wednesday with a huge 4-0 win over the Spaniards. 18-year old Jadon Sancho tallied the first Champions League goal of his young career when he came on as a substitute in the second half.

The Germans have looked spectacular this year in all aspects. They have recorded a perfect nine points in group A with wins over Monaco, Club Brugge, and now Atletico Madrid. In league play, they sit in first place with six wins, two draws, and have yet to lose a match.

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Endless weapons on the attack

Without leading goal-scorer Paco Alcacer, they flew by Atletico. All night long, they capitalized on the mistakes that Madrid was making on their back line. The great thing about this Dortmund side is they have so many solid attacking players on the bench who would be most likely starting for another club in Europe. But they play their role perfectly, evident by Wednesday’s performance.

Axel Witsel netted late in the first half when he took a strike from the top of the box which deflected off an Atletico defender and fooled Jan Oblak. But all of their following three goals in the second half were from substitutes.

Raphael Guerriero came on in the 63rd minute, and just ten minutes later, stretched the lead to 2-0 when he hit a volley perfectly from a cross coming in from the left flank. 18-year old Jadon Sancho then came on in the 79th minute and scored a goal of his own just four minutes later with an easy tap-in. Guerriero sealed it with his second of the match in the 89th minute.

Guerriero hasn’t seen the pitch a lot this season, but after his stellar performance, expect to see him play more. Jadon Sancho has been absolutely electric on the flanks for Dortmund this year at the tender age of 18. He made his international debut a couple weeks back for England because of his impressive play with Dortmund this year. The youngster has started just four of eleven matches across all competitions this year but has scored three times in that span with a dazzling seven assists.

Add in Marco Reus, Jacob Bruun-Larsen, and Christian Pulisic as their main guys who usually start on the attack, and Dortmund is very dangerous. When Alcacer is up top, Reus typically drops back to an attacking midfielder in the middle of their 4-2-3-1 formation. That pushes Mario Gotze out of the lineup, which gives Lucien Favre another viable option off his bench.

Between just Alcacer and Reus alone, they have scored 13 goals across all matches. Alcacer has seven in just four Bundesliga games, while Reus has scored six in UCL and Bundesliga fixtures.

Other components of their lineup

Defensively, Dortmund has looked very impressive as well. They have given up just eight goals in as many Bundesliga fixtures this season. When it comes to Champions League play, they haven’t conceded a goal.

Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney have been their mainstays as the defensive midfielders in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Witsel adds an offensive flair while also being very solid defensively and holding it down in the middle. Delaney is a bright midfielder who is a very precise passer and is very good at orchestrating a match. He’s a classic box to box midfielder who has great defensive abilities.

With Witsel and Delaney, Dortmund added two instrumental midfielders in the off-season who have definitely been a vital part of their success so far this year. Both players bring different abilities that compliment Dortmund’s style of play very well.

19-year old Dan-Axel Zagadou has been solid at centre-back for Dortmund. the Frenchman was a monster against Atletico, containing the likes of Antoine Greizmann and Diego Costa, two of the best attackers in Europe.

The sky is the limit for Dortmund

This could be the year where Dortmund make a serious run in Champions League play. If their recent performances in group A and the Bundesliga are any indication, then the German giants could see themselves going a long way in European competition. With certain additions to their squad like Axel Witsel, Paco Alcacer, and Thomas Delaney, they look like they’re in good hands.

It will be exciting to see how Lucien Favre’s side fares when it comes to the knockout stage.