UEFA Champions League – Dortmund-Atlético – Dortmund v Atlético background

Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid have already assumed control of Group A, and a win for either on matchday three would put them within sight of a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.

• Both teams have six points having beaten Club Brugge and Monaco. Dortmund hold the advantage with a goal difference of one better than their Spanish opponents.

Previous meetings
• The sides have met in four previous matches, most recently in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League group stage when each sides recorded an away victory. Dortmund were 1-0 winners in Spain before a 2-1 Atlético success in Germany; the pair finished level on 13 points, Atlético winning the section ahead of Dortmund on head-to-head record. It was the German club, however, who would go on to lift the trophy that season, beating Juventus in the final; Atlético were eliminated by Ajax in the quarter-finals.

• Dortmund came out on top in the 1965/66 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final between the teams, following a 1-1 draw in Spain with a 1-0 home victory. One again, the German side went on to win the trophy.

Highlights: Dortmund 1-0 Monaco

Form guide
Dortmund
• Lucian Favre’s side were 3-0 victors against Monaco in their first home Group A game, on matchday two, having opened the section with a 1-0 win at Club Brugge.

• Fourth in last season’s Bundesliga, the German club are in the group stage for the third season running, and the seventh time in eight years – in their 2017/18 campaign they picked up only two points from their six fixtures. They went on to reach the UEFA Europa League round of 16, losing to Salzburg.

• Despite the wins against Club Brugge and Monaco, Dortmund have won only three of their last 13 UEFA Champions League fixtures (D3 L7).

• The German club picked up only one point at home in last season’s group stage, and were without a win in four UEFA Champions League matches in Dortmund (D1 L3) before beating Monaco.

• The 3-2 home win against Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg was Dortmund’s only European victory last season; they have now won two of their last seven European home matches (D1 L4).

• Dortmund’s record at home to Spanish clubs is W7 D4 L3 – one of those defeats coming in the most recent encounter, Real Madrid’s 3-1 success in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage. That ended Dortmund’s five-match unbeaten run (W4 D1) at home to Spanish clubs.

• BVB’s last eight games against Spanish sides have all pitted them against Real Madrid; they won only two of those contests, and none of the last four (D2 L2).

See Atlético make it two wins from two

See Atlético make it two wins from two

Atlético
• Diego Simeone’s side were 3-1 winners at home to Club Brugge on matchday two having won their opening fixture at Monaco 2-1.

• Those results mean Atlético have won their last five European games, and have lost only one of their last 16 matches in continental competition (W11 D4).

• Atlético have lost only one of their last eight European away games, winning three.

• A 4-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg ended Atlético’s three-match losing run in Germany.

• UEFA Champions League finalists in 2014 and 2016, and semi-finalists two seasons ago, Atlético won only one game in the 2017/18 competition, drawing four including all three away, to finish behind Roma and Chelsea in their section.

• However, Los Rojiblancos then moved into the UEFA Europa League, winning their first five matches. They lost only one of nine overall and defeated Marseille 3-0 in the Lyon final.

• Atlético have already lifted European silverware this season, beating Real Madrid 4-2 in August’s UEFA Super Cup in Tallinn – making them the first team to win the competition on their first three appearances.

• The Rojiblancos have reached two UEFA Champions League and three UEFA Europa League finals in the last nine seasons.

Links and trivia
• Atlético’s Thomas Lemar provided three assists in Monaco’s 6-3 aggregate win against Dortmund in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Shinji Kagawa and Marco Reus were among the German club’s scorers.

• Have played in Spain:
Paco Alcácer (Valencia 2009–16, Getafe 2012/13 loan, Barcelona 2016–18)
Sergio Gómez (Barcelona 2017/18)
Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid 2016–18)

• International team-mates:
Raphäel Guerreiro & Gelson Martins (Portugal)
Paco Alcácer & Saúl Ñíguez, Koke, Diego Costa, Rodri, Juanfran, Vitolo (Spain)

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