DORTMUND • It was just three months ago when Borussia Dortmund were revelling in the Christmas cheer, having entered the winter break with a commanding nine-point lead in the Bundesliga.
That feel-good factor has since eroded as the cushion vanished, following a shock 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Augsburg last Friday that allowed German champions Bayern Munich to pull level at the top on 54 points.
With just one win in their last seven matches, it could get worse for Dortmund, who have to overcome a three-goal deficit against Tottenham for their Champions League last-16 return leg today.
Only Barcelona, Deportivo La Coruna and Roma have managed to overturn a deficit of three goals or more in the knockout phase of the Champions League era.
And, while Spurs have gone without a win in their last three games, the margin will enable Mauricio Pochettino's men to sit back and hit Dortmund on the break.
With glaring defensive errors increasingly creeping into the home side's game, captain Marco Reus has admitted "this is a phase we need to stabilise quickly or things will get very tight".
13Â
German league goals for Dortmund captain Marco Reus, who missed the first leg against Tottenham.
Goalkeeper Roman Burki added: "We keep conceding strange goals, which are actually easy to defend. I had to pull myself together not to tear anyone's head off."
Despite the Augsburg defeat representing the low point of their season, Dortmund will be able to call on Reus, their joint-top scorer on 13 league goals, against Spurs after the German international missed the Wembley game through injury.
While coach Lucien Favre remains hopeful, he knows his players cannot give away any chances.
He said: "We must stay calm and not make another mistake."
Former Germany defender Matthias Sammer, an external adviser at Dortmund, has also urged the team to show more character, insisting they had to "put in 90 to 95 per cent (focus), (as) it's not enough to be (at) 60 or 70 per cent".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
DORTMUND V TOTTENHAM
Singtel TV Ch110 & StarHub Ch214, tomorrow, 3.55am
Football: Qatar players cleared in eligibility row just
[A] pictute of banks working side-by-side with 1MDB as it accumulated worrying levels of debt and became the subject of growing controversy which, in the words of the Swiss financial regulator, looks like a case of "blatant and massive corruption". U.S. authorities have asked the banks to provide details of their dealings with the fund.
Singapore - The Full Wiki
AFF SUZUKI CUP; SOUTH EAST ASIAN GAMES; AFF U22 CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF U19 CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF U16 CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF U16 GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP; AFF FUTSAL CUP; AFF BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP; Gallery; Calendar; Info. Member Associations 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇳 Brunei 🇰🇭 Cambodia
Manchester United fullback Diogo Dalot is adamant they can score at Barcelona.United fell to a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg of their Champions League quarterfina Man Utd know we can score in
Fergie: We can match Barca | FOX Sports
Check out for the latest news on 2019 Asian Cup football along with 2019 Asian Cup football live news at Times of India Japan coach disappointed but pleased with progress at Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup 2019: UAE semifinal will be our toughest
PARIS (REUTERS) - Edinson Cavani missed a stoppage-time penalty as Paris St Germain continued their stuttering end to the season with a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at home to Nice, with Neymar notching his
Neymar hits half-century as PSG are held by Nice | Free
Juventus The champions have a 20-point advantage on second-placed Napoli, who they have beaten in both their head-to-head clashes, with seven games to go. Napoli draw puts Juventus coronation on hold
Barcelona wins at Bernabeu again to end Real Madrid title hopes. Barcelona players celebrate after winning the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: El Clasico 2019 Odds, Preview
Liverpool's players pose before the UEFA Champions League Group C football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris, on November 28, 2018. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied on Friday that his Premier League leaders will have the upper hand over […]
Premier League: Jurgen Klopp denies Liverpool's lighter
Three weeks on, Solskjaer is making a compelling case to stay on. The interim boss and legendary former Manchester United striker has already equaled the best start of any manager in club history.
Klopp said the group and fans needed to accept on the off chance that they are to end a 29-year dry spell for an alliance title. "We are attempting to keep this fantasy alive and right now it's everything great. Be that as it may, Chelsea are an extremely troublesome group and they are in a decent minute," Klopp included.
Singapore's Akbar is best coach in I-League. Mar 25, 2019, 5:00 am. Football: Singaporean coach Akbar Nawas is I-League's best coach as champions Chennai City sweep awards.
Van Dijk embraces tearful referee whose mother had passed
sportslifetale.com/soccer/van-dijk-embraces-tearful-referee-whose-mother-had-passed-away/
'I wished him strength and said that he had done well': Holland captain Virgil van Dijk embraces tearful referee whose mother had recently passed away after securing Nations League draw with Germany Virgil van Dijk led the way for Holland on Monday and helped his side draw 2-2 The defender's late equaliser salvaged a point […]
Site Supervisor - Kenston Construction - Singapore
Manchester United transfer news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer urged to forget signing 'world class' stars and go after the best young players Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and The veteran manager
Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford strike as Manchester United
Google Keep Google Keep is a note-taking service developed by
New Homes For Sale In Dallas | HISTORYMAKER Homes
Football: Tottenham shine to hit Everton for six Tottenham Hotspur showed why manager Mauricio Pochettino is a wanted man by thrashing Everton 6-2 at Goodison
Spurs shine to hit Everton for six | New Straits Times
0 comments:
Post a Comment