Ever since Group F was drawn with Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli pitted against each other, it was quite inevitable to see one of these three packing up early. Before the UCL campaign began, it was Arsenal who were thought to be the ones struggling to match the likes of BVB and Napoli.
However, the whole journey has been of twists and turns so far and as things stand, either Napoli or Borussia Dortmund would see their Champions League journey cut short which will be quite a shame considering the fact that these two are indeed two of the best sides in Europe.
Though stakes are high for both sides ahead of tonight’s encounter, one has to say that it is Dortmund who have got a lot on line. Following a 3-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich on Saturday, BVB might find it difficult to reclaim the German Bundesliga title this time around. Indeed fans would be keen to see the men in yellow come out strong after such a disappointing defeat.
Moreover, going to the next round of the Champions League is very important for Dortmund who despite being so good for the past two years, still need to convince a few of their players that they are in right place. Having already lost Mario Gotze to Munich and with reports suggesting that Robert Lewandowski could be on the verge of following the German international to Allianz Arena, the club needs to keep the unit intact.
Already, many clubs are willing to trigger a release contract in Marco Reus’ contract and if Jurgen Klopp’s side fails to make it to the next round of the competition, the young German will seriously consider jumping ship and leaving for greener pastures.
After all the hard work they have done these past few years, it would be heart breaking to see Borussia Dortmund heading to Europa League especially after they fought so hard to feature in last season’s UCL final. Moreover, Die Borussen have worked their way to question Bayern Munich’s hegemony in Germany and have evoked a rivalry that was pretty much dead a few years back. Furthermore, crashing out of the Champions League will also increase the gap between the two sides as BVB do not have a financial muscle as potent as their rivals.
As things stand, Arsenal and Napoli are both level on nine points while BVB have just six points with only two matches left two play including tonight’s encounter. Nothing short of a win would give Klopp’s side a chance of making it to the knockout phases with everything still to play for in their last game.
With injuries piling up at the Signal Iduna Park, Jurgen Klopp will most definitely have to dip in the transfer market in January to acquire new players who can help Dortmund finish the current season on a high note. Their inability to make it to the next round, will tarnish all the good work the club did last season and will not allow the club to attract top notch players it needs to battle Bayern and the other European elites.
