Lopetegui undergoes a final exam against Dortmund
Sevilla looks to Pizjuán for its first win in the ‘Champions’ against its direct rival for second place
MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Sevilla faces this Wednesday at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (9:00 p.m. / Movistar Champions League 2) a new litmus test on the third day of the Champions League group stage against Borussia Dortmund, a rival that aspires to settle in second place and that could definitively sentence Julen Lopetegui.
The shadows of the dismissal of the Basque coach and the return of Jorge Sampaoli have already begun to haunt the vicinity of Nervión, and the third setback in ‘Champions’ could make them take over the locker room. The rout suffered at home against Manchester City (0-4) and the goalless draw against the weakest rival in Group G, Copenhagen (0-0), leave the Sevilla team in a dangerous situation.
In LaLiga Santander, the results don’t seem to arrive either. The victory against Espanyol (2-3) and the draw against Villarreal (1-1), which broke a streak of matches that ended with only one point out of a possible 12, were clouded by the image of the defeat at the end of week against Atlético de Madrid (0-2).
The whistle with which the Sevilla fans fired their supporters, shouting for the resignation of President Pepe Castro, seemed to have sentenced Lopetegui, but the Gipuzkoan, very upset with this situation that surrounds him, will sit on the bench this Wednesday. Winning the Bundesliga team could give them one more life and reach the weekend.
Without the long-term injured ‘Tecatito’ Corona, the unregistered Óliver Torres and the Brazilian Marcao, who were joined by the Dutchman Karim Rekik last Saturday due to a fibrillar rupture, the Andalusian side have recovered both Marcos Acuña and Fernando Reges , who missed the match against the rojiblancos due to discomfort.
The Argentine winger is emerging as a starter on the left side of a defense that continues to yearn for Diego Carlos and Jules Koundé and to which Nemanja Gudelj, who was in the middle against Atlético, could return. Ivan Rakitic and Joan Jordán could be the novelties in midfield, while Kasper Dolberg and Rafa Mir are struggling to lead an attack at the moment with very few goals.
Opposite they will meet their executioner from two seasons ago, a team with which a priori they should play for second place in the group and which manages three points after falling to City (2-1) in the final minutes and beating the Danes (3 -0). In the round of 16 of the 2020-21 campaign, the Aurinegro team won the first leg at Sánchez-Pizjuán (2-3) and asserted the draw in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park (2-2) to eliminate the Spanish.
However, it is no longer that threatening Dortmund that welcomed the four goals from the Norwegian Erling Haaland, now in the ranks of Manchester City, to overcome the tie, with the Sevilla player Thomas Delaney then on the rival side. In the Bundesliga, they have suffered two defeats in their last three games, the last of them against Cologne (3-2), although they remain fourth, just two points behind the leadership of Union Berlin.
To travel to a stadium in which they have never fallen, the Rhenish team will be without two of their fundamental pillars: captain Marco Reus, with an ankle injury, and defender Mats Hummels, affected by a bad cold. Nor will the side Marius Wolf nor the midfielder Giovanni Reyna.
The also casualties of midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud, who underwent shoulder surgery, and Spanish defender Mateu Morey, injured in the lateral meniscus of his left knee, fill an infirmary where Ivorian Sébastien Haller has been since the beginning of the season, dealing with a testicular tumor .
In exchange, Edin Terzic recovers goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, so he must decide whether to keep Alexander Meyer’s ownership or return it to the Swiss. Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle, two of the summer signings, will shore up the center of defence, while Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Modeste and Donyell Malen could form the attacking trident.
SEVILLE FC: Bonus; Carmona, Gudelj, Nianzou, Telles; Delaney, Rakitic, Joan Jordan; Isco, Lamela and Rafa Mir.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Meyer; Meunier, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro; Özcan, Bellingham, Brandt; Adeyemi, Modeste and Malen.
–ÁRBITRO: Maurizio Mariani (ITA).
–STADIUM: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
–TIME: 21.00/Movistar Champions League 2.
