Borussia Dortmund vs Lille

Signal Iduna Park sets the stage for the first leg of an exciting Champions League last-16 tie between Borussia Dortmund and Lille. 

Borussia Dortmund’s first European meeting with Lille in 23 years will decide one quarter-finalist after they ousted Sporting CP in the knockout playoff round. Despite drawing a blank in the home leg, Niko Kovac’s side didn’t need to score after a 3-0 win in Lisbon. More importantly, they kept the Primeira Liga giants at bay in both legs, contributing to their remarkable tally of four clean sheets from six competitive outings under Kovac – as many as they had managed in their previous 27 under Mike Tullberg and Nuri Sahin! A 2-0 away Bundesliga win against St. Pauli at the weekend fuelled Dortmund’s optimism as they return to Signal Iduna Park, where they boast a near-undefeated 15-game record in UEFA competitions (W9, D5, L1).

In the meantime, visiting Lille dodged the playoff round after winning five of their eight league-phase outings (D1, L2) to lock down automatic last-16 qualification. As a result, head coach Bruno Genesio will contest a European knockout tie with a third French team after steering Lyon and Rennes into springtime action. Beating Dortmund in this tie would see ‘Les Dogues’ reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, but they must address their travel sickness. Indeed, they have only won once on their last eight road trips (D4, L3)! Furthermore, a 4-1 humbling at Paris Saint-Germain over the weekend marked Lille’s third winless competitive outing in five (L3), including a shock Coupe de France exit to lower-league Dunkerque.