City vs Dortmund: Champions League Clash Sparks High Hopes as Barca Eyes a Comeback

The Setup

Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium will stage a fiery showdown between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Inter Milan sit atop Group G with maximum points, ahead of their upcoming clash with Kaïrat Almaty.

The teams haven’t met since October 2022, when they drew 0-0 in Dortmund. They currently sit sixth and seventh in the group, with Dortmund ahead on goal difference.

Both sides are chasing a direct path to the last-16 by staying inside the top eight, hoping to avoid last season’s playoff drama when Dortmund finished tenth and City ended 22nd.

City’s playoff setback last season came at the hands of Real Madrid, while Dortmund beat Sporting CP and Lille to reach the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Barcelona.

On Form and Fortunes

The mood around both clubs is buoyant: City beat Bournemouth 3-1 to move to second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal; Dortmund beat Augsburg 1-0 to stay third in the Bundesliga, two points behind Leverkusen and seven behind Bayern.

City’s latest surge owes much to Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who left Dortmund in 2022 after scoring 86 goals in 89 appearances.

Haaland’s brace against Bournemouth lifts his tally to 13 league goals in 10 matches this season, and 17 in 13 across all competitions.

This won’t be Haaland’s first test against his former club; he already netted a spectacular acrobatic goal that was named best of the 2022-23 season in City’s 2-1 win at Dortmund in the group stage, helping fuel City’s march toward their first Champions League trophy.

Guardiola: “Do you see the numbers of this man?”

Guardiola praised Haaland, saying he is on a level with Messi and Ronaldo in terms of production, adding: “They did it for 15 years, but this is the same level... always hungry for goals. He’s the best.”

“I am strict with Haaland at times, but he is open-minded and lives to score. Sometimes the pressure doesn’t last 90 minutes, and that’s natural.”

He also noted: “Without him, honestly, it would be tougher. But we are lucky to have Omar Marmoush back, and we have players ready, which is good.”

Guardiola also praised French youngster Ryan Cherki for setting up Haaland’s goals against Bournemouth, calling him a special talent with superb late-third-attack vision.

Inter and Barca in the Mix

In Milan, Inter Milan are aiming to preserve a perfect European start by hosting Kaïrat Almaty, who have just one point from three games after two Serie A wins helped restore balance following a Napoli defeat.

Inter’s group is tricky, with Ajax and Benfica both lagging behind and Inter hoping to keep their form steady as the fixtures pile up.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are hoping to re-enter the top eight, aiming to overturn a recent Clasico setback against Real Madrid as they face Club Brugge in Belgium.

Barça sit ninth on goal difference, just behind Newcastle United in eighth; a 6-1 thrashing of Olympiacos last round has injected fresh confidence as they chase progression.

Other Fixtures

Meanwhile, Atalanta face Marseille in a balanced clash as both teams chase a second win to stay in the hunt.

Chelsea travel to Qarabağ in search of a third victory to secure a spot among the eight qualifiers.

Villarreal host Paphos in a meeting where both sides will be desperate to salvage their continental campaigns.

Punchline time: If City win this, even the scoreboard will start filing for overtime; Haaland’s goals arrive so fast the net needs a snooze button. Punchline two: Guardiola’s playbook is so well-practiced that even his whistle has a highlight reel.